Kane is hurt, so Bellingham could play as a striker.

As a surprise choice, Jude Bellingham could take Harry Kane’s place as England’s false No. 9

Plus: a look at why finding a way for Bellingham, Foden, and Palmer to fit into the England team could be the most important thing Carsley does as manager.

Jude Bellingham ʂhock candidate to replace Harry Kane as false No 9 for England

Lee Carsley has thought about pulling off a big surprise by trying out Jude Bellingham as a false nine. The temporary manager of England is trying to figure out how to get as many star players as possible on the team.

Harry Kane, the captain, is set to miss Thursday night’s game against Greece because he trained alone again on Wednesday. Carsley has been looking at his options, which include Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke.

Despite having two other forwards on hand, Carsley is said to have seriously thought about starting Bellingham as a false nine, with Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, and Anthony Gordon all coming in for him.

Palmer and Foden could be allowed to roam from deeper midfield areas with Declan Rice. Saka and Gordon would start on either side of Bellingham.

A move like this could get a lot of fans excited, but it could also get Carsley in trouble because Bellingham hasn’t scored for Real Madrid yet this season and Watkins and Solanke have been getting better.

As a substitute, Watkins scored the late winner that put England ahead of the Netherlands in the European Championship semi-final. He has scored four goals for Villa this season, while Solanke has scored three for Tottenham.