Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is likely to make his England debut from the bench, according to ESPN FC sources.
Kane had been expected to start against Lithuania in Friday's Euro 2016 qualifier at Wembley after Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge withdrew with a hip injury, but England manager Roy Hodgson will instead turn to Danny Welbeck.
Arsenal's Welbeck has scored five goals for England this season, one more than his Premier League total, and has been a national-team mainstay since Hodgson took over ahead of Euro 2012.
Kane's 19 Premier League strikes have not been enough to convince Hodgson that the debutant should partner skipper Wayne Rooney in attack.
Instead, Kane may be given his first start in Tuesday's friendly with Italy in Turin. Liverpool's Raheem Sterling is set to be rested for the Italy trip.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Hodgson refused to confirm whether Kane would start, only suggesting that the striker has done enough in training to be involved.
"I would like to think that I don't either succumb to that clamour or am put off by the fact that if I did succumb to the clamour I was making a populist decision," Hodgson told reporters.
"If we put him [Kane] in and he starts and he doesn't do well, we should have been a bit more solicitous in giving him a bit more time to find his feet. If we don't put him in and it doesn't go so well, we are guilty of not giving him, a form player, his chance.
"Welbeck is still very much in contention as is Wayne who we are delighted to see playing up front again for Manchester United because we have always used him as a front player."
Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick, whose return from injury has coincided with his club's return to form, should start at the base of midfield, with Liverpool's Jordan Henderson, and Aston Villa's Fabian Delph, recovered from a sickness bug.
United defender Phil Jones is expected to get the nod ahead in central defence of club colleague Chris Smalling.
England are bidding for a fifth successive victory in their qualifying campaign.