Underlying issue, Mikel Arteta point - Final Harry Kane England injury bombshell verdict

England captain Harry Kane made the controversial call to insinuate that some of the players withdrawing from international duty might not be as badly injured as has been suggested - although he has since shed further light on those comments with a follow-up response pre-Republic of Ireland on Sunday afternoon.

Among those missing during November's international break are Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice who both picked up knocks during their draw with Chelsea on Sunday. The following day they were released from Lee Carsley's final squad before Thomas Tuchel takes over in January.

Several players, standing at nine at the time of Kane's initial comments, have withdrawn from the England camp and a disgruntled Kane made his feelings clear on the matter. "I think England comes before anything," he told ITV Sport. It comes before club and it is the most important thing you play as a professional footballer.

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"[Former manager] Gareth [Southgate] was hot on that and he wasn't afraid to make decisions if that started to drift from certain players. It's a shame this week obviously. I think it's a tough period of the season, and so maybe that's been taken advantage of a little bit."

Kane went on: "I don't really like it if I'm totally honest. I think as I just said there England comes before anything, any club situation. The joy to play for England, I think Gareth brought that back. Every camp, people were excited to come. Every camp people wanted to play for England and, yeah, that's the most important thing."

Following Kane's comments, football.london asked our writers for their opinions on the withdrawals;

Jack Flintham

From an England perspective, this is a dangerous move from Kane to insinuate some of the team's key players are effectively milking injuries so they can benefit from additional rest. Players who have got left for legitimate reasons might feel that they have been targeted unfairly, and this could cause friction in the camp.

However, from a supporter's perspective, this is an issue which many fans have speculated occurs in the England dressing room during international breaks. Yes, the schedule is tough, especially upon the Premier League's return, but considering the rotation which Carsley has deployed, is there any need to 'feign' injury?

This public outburst will, ultimately, strengthen the bond between Kane and the England fanbase but you have to worry whether this could create an unfortunate ripple effect in the squad, jeopardising the unity Southgate forged during his tenure.

Tom Doyle

Given the sickening abuse that various England players have faced in recent years, would it be any wonder if the national team comes second-best for some? The relentless criticism even wore a man as optimistic as Southgate down to the point that he left the job. For all his England goals, Kane has nothing at club level; would he be saying the same thing if he had a few winners' medals?

Modern club football is full to bursting; with growing talk of player strikes on the horizon, so it'd be no surprise if some players erred on the side of caution regarding health. An unwanted spell on the side-lines could irrevocably alter their career; for some, the national team can wait.

It is by no means romantic, but modern football dictates that clubs relentlessly pursue growth and revenue in a new Financial Fair Play arms race; how can we expect younger fans and emerging players not to reflect that new landscape? A new generation of players have personal brands to build both inside and outside football, and some - perfectly reasonably, I'd add - might not necessarily view a few minutes in the Nations League in November as the best use of their time.

In the case of Saka and Rice dropping out, you could argue the blame lies with Mikel Arteta. Arsenal couldn't afford to lose to Chelsea so both started; now the Three Lions are paying the price for Arteta's gamble, but the players are taking the blame. That is hardly fair, and Kane is taking a big risk by suggesting teammates are "taking advantage" of a much-needed break. Maybe he should be using his status to ask questions a little higher up the food chain.

Matty Hewitt

Kane's pre-match comments look set to open up a can of worms. The club vs country debate looked as though it had been resigned to the history books, with squad harmony an integral part of Southgate's England core.

It's feels as though, following a string of disappointing performances at the European Championships in Germany, that all's not well in the current Three Lions set-up, though. Having done so well in building a side the nation could once again be proud of, the defeat to Spain in this summer's final felt as though the balloon had been burst.

Kane, an older head in the dressing room, will no doubt have cemented his place among England's greats among the most patriotic of fans, but there are underlying issues rearing their ugly head once again. For all the talk of too many games being played and competitions like the FA Cup having the life sucked out of it to accommodate some of the country's elite, Kane's comments would be understandable, if the current international break wasn't for the Nations League.

You can hardly blame players for not wanting to play their part in a competition which is glorified friendly. Were this European Championship or World Cup qualification, I'd take a different stance.

That being said, the national team is approaching a new crossroads and Kane's comments will undoubtedly cause friction, leaving Tuchel needing to address a number of issues before he's even officially started in his role.

Isaac Seelochan

While Kane's words sound great, in theory anyway, the honest truth is that club football is now more important than international football outside of major tournaments. I get that you can't pick and choose, but outside of the Euros and World Cup, international football has become a bit of a bore.

So many fans feel deflated when all momentum from an exciting league season is halted by another set of games which - from an English perspective - don't get the pulses racing. Footballers, similarly to all elite athletes, need to pick and choose when they peak, and the November international break - when you are not playing qualifiers for a major tournament - really isn't worth getting injured for.

There's too much football, and that inevitably leads to tough decisions by players. Playing for England is great, but this set of fixtures is low down the list of priorities when you're tired.