The victory over Greece showed England's future without their all-time top goalscorer will not be as bleak as many anticipate
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.
Getty 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.
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesSolanke 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.
Getty Images SportNew 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.
Getty Images Sport'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 . "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."
