Burton-On-Trent: England’s interim manager Gareth Southgate will check on the fitness of Harry Kane before deciding if the striker can start Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Scotland, he said on Monday.

Kane, 23, made a goalscoring return from a seven-week layoff with ankle ligament damage in Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Arsenal on Sunday.

“I think the first thing we have to do with Harry is check how he is after yesterday,” Southgate told reporters at England’s St George’s Park base in Burton-on-Trent.

“I think Spurs, maybe with Dele (Alli) missing as well, took a decision for what was a very big game for them.

“Of course we have a big game ourselves and will have to see what level he’s at when he reports.

“But it was great to see him back and scoring and with a smile on his face at the end of the game.”

Midfielder Alli will miss England’s game against Scotland at Wembley, and next week’s friendly with Spain, after twisting his knee in training.

His absence opened the door for Southgate to recall Jack Wilshere, who has returned to form and fitness since joining Bournemouth on loan from Arsenal.

With Spurs right back Kyle Walker nursing a knock and Arsenal winger Theo Walcott’s wife due to give birth to their second child, Southgate has named an enlarged 25-man squad in case of withdrawals.

England are top of Uefa qualifying Group F after three games, three points above fourth-place Scotland.

Southgate believes it will be fitting for his and Scotland’s players to wear commemorative poppies during Friday’s qualifier.

The football associations of England and Scotland have vowed to defy world governing body Fifa, which bans players from wearing political, commercial and religious symbols during matches.

“As head coach, I was keen for us to wear poppies,” he told a press conference at the St George’s Park training centre in Burton-on-Trent, central England.

“It’s a very important part of the history and tradition of what we are as a nation.

“The fact we have freedom of speech to make statements as we see fit we owe to the people who gave their lives in the two World Wars in particular.

“It now commemorates a lot more than that. I understand people have individual views on that. But it’s important we represent the nation and wearing the poppy is the right thing to do.”

People in Britain wear poppies in November to remember the country’s war dead and England’s FA said it would be an “appropriate tribute” for the players to wear black armbands with red poppy emblems.

England’s game against Scotland falls on November 11, which was the date the Armistice was signed to end World War I in 1918.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has described FIFA’s stance on the matter as “utterly outrageous” and a petition against the poppy ban has been signed by over 300,000 people.

England squad:

Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Joe Hart (Torino, loan from Manchester City), Tom Heaton (Burnley).

Defenders: Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Michael Keane (Burnley), Danny Rose (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Tottenham).

Midfielders: Eric Dier (Tottenham), Danny Drinkwater (Leicester), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jack Wilshere (Bournemouth, loan from Arsenal), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United).

Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Jamie Vardy (Leicester).