Report: Harry Kane Benched for Jamie Vardy Amid Golden Boot Chase at World Cup

England manager Gareth Southgate will reportedly replace Harry Kane, the 2018 FIFA World Cup leading goalscorer, with Jamie Vardy for Thursday's showdown with Belgium.

With the Three Lions and Belgium already qualified for the knockout stages of the competition, both managers are poised to make numerous alterations to their lineup.

According to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, despite his pursuit of the Golden Boot, the England captain is set to be benched.

"Raheem Sterling has been rested, which means Marcus Rashford is most likely to start just behind Vardy," continued Law. "Southgate believes Vardy’s ability to hit teams on the counter-attack could be vital for England against better opposition, and the Belgium clash gives him the perfect opportunity to prove that."

MARK RALSTON/Getty Images

Kane has enjoyed a sensational start to the World Cup in Russia, as he has led the line and the team with distinction.

The forward scored twice in England's opening fixture against Tunisia, including a last-gasp winner. He followed that up with a hat-trick against Panama, giving the forward the outright lead in the race for the Golden Boot ahead of Romelu Lukaku and Cristiano Ronaldo.

As noted by the UEFA Champions League Twitter account, it's been another season to remember for the Tottenham Hotspur forward:

There's no chance of Lukaku catching Kane up on Thursday either. As noted by BBC Sport, Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has confirmed the forward will miss the match with an ankle problem.

Typically both teams would be desperate to top the group at this point in the competition to avoid a tougher draw in the next round. However, the top half of the draw contains traditionally stronger outfits; it's that portion of the bracket the winner of Group G will go into, per ESPN's Dale Johnson:

As things stand, England and Belgium have identical records, although the former top the group based on a better disciplinary record.

One player who won't be taking it easy in this one is Vardy, as he'll be desperate to show what he can offer with the knockout stages in mind. The Leicester City man scored 20 goals in the Premier League last term, and his searing pace gives the Three Lions a fine alternative to Kane.