World Cup 2026: Life after Harry Kane – are England facing a false nine future?

England were fortunate when it came to the tail end of Wayne Rooney’s international career.

Just as he was winding down, Kane broke into the international set-up when scoring 80 seconds into his debut – as a substitute for the Manchester United striker – against Lithuania in 2015.

It was a perfect handing of the baton, current record scorer to future record scorer.

England do not seem to have the same luxury, but it is worth considering Kane’s career path.

Unlike Rooney at Everton or Michael Owen at Liverpool, Kane did not burst on to the scene with his club as a teenager.

Kane had to learn his trade in loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City.

It was not until 2014-15 season, with Kane aged 21, that he got a chance at Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure as manager. He seemed to come from nowhere to score 21 Premier League goals and 32 in all competitions.

There are countless tales of prolific academy strikers who never make the top level in senior football.

Take Charlie McNeill, who scored 110 goals and had 38 assists in 72 matches for Manchester City’s youth teams.

He moved to Manchester United, becoming only the club’s second player to score 20 goals in one season at academy level.

Yet McNeill made one first-team appearance for the club as a substitute in a Europa League match against Real Sociedad in September 2022. Now 22, he plays for Sheffield Wednesday in League One.

Eddie Nketiah is the all-time record scorer for England Under-21s with 16 goals, yet after leaving Arsenal for Crystal Palace he has failed to shine. In two seasons, he has scored only five Premier League goals.

There are plenty of wide forwards, or number 10s, for England at youth level – Arsenal’s Max Dowman and Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha to name two – but few number nines.

It just seems as though the system is trying to produce more technical players than out-and-out strikers.