England still need Harry Kane – but Ollie Watkins & Co. are ensuring future beyond Three Lions’ record goalscorer looks much brighter

With Harry Kane’s international retirement on the horizon, we are at the beginning of a transitional period for England’s attack. But while it had been widely assumed that the Three Lions would be scrambling around to replace their all-time record goalscorer, the future suddenly looks a lot more rosy.

Thursday night’s comfortable victory over Greece in Athens was the latest demonstration of that, with Kane surprisingly dropped and forced to watch from the bench as Ollie Watkins deputised ably in his place in a 3-0 win in the UEFA Nations League.

The Aston Villa hitman is the leading light in a new generation of England strikers who are proving that Kane’s eventual exit from the international scene needn’t be the cataclysmic event it has been played up to be over the years.

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  Kane’s natural successor?

  Emerging as essentially England’s main ‘other’ striker option with Kane still at the peak of his powers, Watkins has had to be incredibly patient for his chance – but when opportunities have come his way, he has often seized them.

  His tidy early finish from close range against Greece – having unexpectedly been handed a start ahead of Kane – was the latest example in a growing catalogue that includes a Euro 2024 semi-final winner against the Netherlands. The Aston Villa man demonstrated his knack of finding pockets of space as he slotted home from Noni Madueke’s cutback despite being surrounded by defenders.

  Although Watkins has 18 caps, he has actually scored five times in 606 minutes of action for England, which works out as fewer than seven full 90 minutes. He has only started six games for the Three Lions, scoring three times in those matches.

  Reliable in front of goal and creative too, Watkins turns 29 in December and is playing at the highest level with Villa in the Champions League. It feels as though he is at his peak and ready to step into Kane’s big shoes – he will just hope he doesn’t have to be patient for much longer.

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    Solanke taking strides

    Another intriguing option to re-emerge for England is Dominic Solanke, who collected his first cap in seven years during the October international break.

    A strong 2023-24 campaign with Bournemouth earned the 27-year-old another big move in the summer following his unsuccessful time at Chelsea and Liverpool, and after a slow start he is beginning to look the part at Tottenham.

    Like Kane, Solanke is adept at dropping deep to link play and making well-timed bursts into the penalty area. He has four goals in nine Premier League appearances for Spurs so far and that return is only likely to increase.

    He may need to become more prolific, but he has the profile to succeed the England captain – something his club have clearly recognised having sold Kane to Bayern Munich last summer.

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    New option emerges

    One uncapped player who those in the senior setup will be keeping a close eye on is Liam Delap.

    It feels as though the striker has long been earmarked for success having made his Manchester City debut four years ago aged 17, and he is finally being given the chance to shine in the Premier League by Ipswich Town.

    A technical centre-forward who has elite potential having been honed in City’s increasingly prolific academy, Delap has all the attributes to become a key player for England, having played through the age grades up to Under-21 level.

    With six goals in 11 top-flight appearances for a struggling Ipswich side this season, he is well on course for his best-ever goalscoring season at senior level.

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    ‘These players need to have as many experiences as they can’

    Although Carsley only has one game left of his interim tenure before Thomas Tuchel takes the reins in the new year, the need to bring through the next generation of England strikers is not lost on him.

    “It was brilliant for Ollie to get a goal,” he said after the much-needed win over Greece. “I think it is important that if we are going to put these players in a position where we are going to go and win the World Cup then these players need to have as many experiences as they can. It was no slight on Harry. He will start the next game.”

    “It represents we are moving in the right direction,” Carsley told ITV. “It is important the players play to their strengths. We have got a lot of outstanding talent.

    “We spoke yesterday about players getting an opportunity, and we have seen that tonight. People were speaking about the inexperience within the squad, but these players play week in and week out in the Premier League at a really high level.”

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      Supporting cast

      England also find themselves in the enviable position of not having to rely solely on Kane or whoever becomes his long-term successor for goals.

      An array of talent in other attacking positions means that, in theory, the Three Lions should have more than enough firepower to challenge for major honours under Tuchel’s tutelage and beyond.

      Key players and regular contributors Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka are aged 21, 22 and 23 respectively and will be knocking around for years to come, as will Phil Foden and Jarrod Bowen.

      Of course, much will depend on Tuchel finding the right formula for success at that end of the pitch, but he can’t claim he doesn’t have the best tools at his disposal.

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      The Kane era continues

      The caveat here, though, is that Kane will have no plans to step aside anytime soon; the England captain loves playing, loves representing his country and – most of all – loves scoring goals.

      “He was absolutely fine [with being left out]. I think it would be fair to say he wants to play every game, like all top players do,” Carsley said after victory in Athens. “But I think he understands that it’s important that other players experience that kind of experience that we had tonight.

      “He’s a great example to the rest of the players. I expect him to start on Sunday and play well.”

      Barring what would be a monumental shock, England will be planning for Kane to be their No.9 at the 2026 World Cup in the USA in 18 months’ time.

      The Bayern Munich marksman will turn 33 a matter of days after the final in New York, and he will be absolutely determined to go all the way having come agonisingly close to glory at three major tournaments in 2018, 2021 and in Berlin in the summer.

      Perhaps lifting the trophy will be enough to convince England’s all-time record goalscorer to call time on his international career, but otherwise he has offered no suggestion that he plans to stop. And, in fairness, he has earned the right to make that decision on his own terms.