Gareth Southgate's England side are due to fly to Russia after Thursday night's international friendly against Costa Rica at Elland Road.The Three Lions beat Nigeria 2-1 in their penultimate World Cup warm-up match on Saturday evening at Wembley Stadium.Gary Cahill and Harry Kane both scored in the first-half before Arsenal's Alex Iwobi pulled one back for the Super Eagles.Kane, 24, will wear the captain's armband in Russia and Southgate praised him after his impressive display against Nigeria.“He has great standing in the world game now,” said the England boss.“His belief in what’s possible, his belief in being able to score every time he plays … but he’s an unselfish player."One thing Southgate won't have this summer is a big target man up front.
Crouch tweet goes viral
On Sunday evening, Stoke City striker Peter Crouch posted a fantastic tweet for the England manager.
The 37-year-old - who has earned a reputation as one of the funniest sportsmen on Twitter - has been capped 42 times by England but hasn't featured since 2010.
Crouch posted a video on Twitter showcasing his pinpoint accuracy and shared a funny message for Southgate, who omitted the veteran striker from his 23-man squad.
"I still haven’t booked any holidays Gareth ðŸ‘ðŸ»" Crouch tweeted.
To be fair, that is an unbelievable piece of skill - but he probably shouldn't hold out for a call from Southgate.
Stoke City teammate Charlie Adam responded to Crouch's tweet with a message for England's young manager.
Crouch did admit that it was third attempt.
Southgate has instead chosen to rely on Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford and Danny Welbeck for goals.
Crouch will be playing in the Championship next season for the first time since 2002 after Stoke City were relegated.
He scored five Premier League goals this season and has one year remaining on his current deal at the Bet365 Stadium.
Crouch was amazed after being applauded by the Stoke supporters in their final home game of the season.
“Going out on the lap of appreciation, my initial thought was 'oh my God'," said the former England international. "I was apprehensive that the fans would turn.
"I have played at stadiums where teams get booed off at half-time if they are not winning, so I fully expected there to be a backlash, maybe season tickets being thrown on to the pitch.
“You can really study supporters when you go on those walks. So I looked into the stands and could see the disappointment and hurt in the eyes of our fans but, do you know what, my admiration for them grew further for the way they reacted."
Crouch holds the record for most headed goals scored in the Premier League.