England National Team Lacks a Worthy Successor to Harry Kane

A shortage of the classic "number nine," or central striker, is emerging in the England national team and world football. While Harry Kane currently remains the absolute leader of the national team, experts are concerned that no worthy successor is visible among the youth following him. This was reported by Goal.com news reports.

Former Premier League star and England striker Stan Collymore explained the root causes of this problem in an interview with Goal.com. In his view, the absence of an heir at Harry Kane's level in the English football system is not a coincidence, but a result of modern football tactics and young players avoiding responsibility.

Why don't young players want to be strikers?

Collymore noted that over the last 15-20 years, most teams have switched to systems with three attackers. This has changed the significance of the pure central striker position. In conversations with coaches, the former footballer noticed an interesting trend: young players no longer want to be central strikers.

"Everyone strives to be a winger. Because there, you have the opportunity to show technical skill, cut inside, and shoot, but you aren't solely required to score goals. A central striker, however, is judged by only one thing — the number of goals. That means immense responsibility and pressure," says Stan Collymore.

English football was brimming with prolific goalscorers like Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, Andy Cole, and Robbie Fowler in the 1990s. Today, not only in England but worldwide, legendary strikers like Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema, and Luis Suarez have reached the final stages of their careers, and the new generation to replace them is very scarce.

Erling Haaland — the exception to the rule

The expert called Manchester City star Erling Haaland a unique talent of our time. He stated that when Erling Haaland played for Borussia Dortmund, he was a striker who ran into spaces and scored based on speed. At Manchester City, he has adapted to the team system and become a "machine" who puts the ball in the net with a single touch inside the penalty area.

Harry Kane is currently 31 and aims to play at a high level for a long time, similar to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. If he plays for the national team for another 5 years, there will be time for new talents to emerge in England. However, so far, no striker as consistent and dangerous as Kane is visible in the youth national teams.

This situation could lead to serious problems for the England national team in the future. If a systematic approach to training central strikers is not established, the "Three Lions" are bound to face a huge void in the attack after Harry Kane leaves.