Kane’s injury may allow Bellingham to play as a striker.

Jude Bellingham, an contender to take Harry Kane’s spot as England’s fake No. 9

Plus: An examination of why Carsley’s tenure as manager might be determined by how effectively he fits Bellingham, Foden, and Palmer into the England squad.

In an effort to pack as much elite talent into his England squad as possible, interim manager Lee Carsley has thought of pulling off a massive surprise by using Jude Bellingham as a false nine.

Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke are two of Carsley’s alternatives, as the captain Harry Kane is expected to miss Thursday night’s match against Greece after working out alone again on Wednesday.

Carsley is said to have seriously considered starting Bellingham as a false nine, with Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, and Anthony Gordon all beginning with him, even though he had two more reliable strikers at his disposal.

Saka and Gordon starting either side of Bellingham would allow Palmer and Foden to roam freely alongside Declan Rice in deeper midfield areas.

A deal like this might thrill a lot of supporters, but it could also draw criticism for Carsley because Watkins and Solanke have been playing well and Bellingham hasn’t scored for Real Madrid yet this season.

Watkins has scored four goals for Villa this season, whereas Solanke has scored three goals for Tottenham. Watkins was the replacement who scored England’s late winner in the European Championship semi-final victory against the Netherlands.