NEXT IN LINE? 7 future England stars aiming to prove Thomas Tuchel wrong and become the next Harry Kane

Harry Kane is the last in a long line of classic English centre forwards. England captain Kane follows on from the likes of Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney, Gary Lineker, Michael Owen and Co.

Some are goalscorers rather than classic No. 9s but either way they are out-and-out strikers and sadly they are becoming a dying breed. It is so serious that Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s head of global football development, even held a coaches seminar in May 2023 to discuss the “Number 9” crisis throughout the whole game.

Incredibly, Liam Delap is the only English striker under the age of 27 to have scored a Champions League goal. It is no wonder that England boss Thomas Tuchel fears England have got a tough job in replacing Kane when one day the 33-year-old hangs up his boots.

Kane is irreplaceable and stepping into his shoes is a daunting task because he is just 13 short of a century of goals for England in just 123 caps. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is in this squad and Danny Welbeck was knocking on the door last season while Ivan Toney went to the World Cup.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page

Get our comprehensive football coverage, with news, updates, opinions, analysis and everything that matters to you, straight to your inbox.

To get it, it's a quick and easy one-two:

1. Head THIS WAY

Ollie Watkins was also in the World Cup squad but has now departed to the Saudi Pro League. They are three excellent No. 9s but they almost highlight the problem further because there is a huge gap underneath Kane when it comes to strikers.

Tuchel said England might not be able to find a direct replacement for another ten years but, realistically, we are just guessing. Kane had loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester before eventually getting a far chance at Tottenham - and the rest is history.

Kane scored 73 goals for Bayern Munich and England and if he does not win the Ballon d’Or then, quite frankly, they should scrap the trophy. He has been the best striker by far.

So, there may be a striker coming through who blindsides us all. But this is a far cry from the 90s when, for example, Shearer, Les Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler and Teddy Sheringham were all in the Euro '96 squad and there was no room for Ian Wright or Andy Cole.

Is Harry Kane England's greatest ever striker? Have your say in the comments section.

The next wave had Rooney and Owen plus Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe. Daniel Sturridge, Welbeck and even Rickie Lambert went to the 2014 World Cup. Wenger raised it in the FIFA seminar and it is a popular theme with academy scouts and coaches.

When in charge at Arsenal, Wenger loved centre forwards. He bought Olivier Giroud and he was used to illustrate the No. 9 discussion at the FIFA seminar. At the 2018 World Cup, Giroud had 15 attempts at goal, with 11 of them coming from inside the penalty area, but scored no goals and had no attempts on target.

Four years later, Giroud had 15 attempts, all were inside the area, six on target and he scored four. It highlighted that Giroud had more crosses and passed the ball to create chances for team-mates less in Qatar.

Wenger tried to argue that a good centre forward is worth his weight in gold. Wenger puts part of the issue down to a lack of hunger in the game.

That is why, he says, so many forwards come from South America where they do not have the wealth and luxuries of European academies and clubs. Youth football - from very young age groups - and into academy teams are simply not playing with a centre forward.

As one of the best youth scouts in the country said, every ball is into feet, they are being coached to play with false nines, No. 10s and formations have moved away from a target man. It is the same in defence, he argues, in that centre halves are being coached to play and the profile of youngsters has also changed towards technique over physicality.

You can watch any academy game and it is a rarity now to see a classic centre forward whereas every team used to play with a No9 Training drills used to feature getting the ball wide, centre forwards timing their runs and movement. Now it is all about ball into feet.

The other key difference is opportunities for homegrown players. Last season, the promotion of minutes played by English players in the Premier League hit an all-time low of 25.8 percent. It has risen slightly to 27.1 percent this season but that is a stark and worrying trend. It has been around the 30 mark for several years previously.

It even hit a high of 36.1 percent in 21/22. It almost went unrecognised but England really played 4-4-2 at the World Cup with Jude Bellingham pushing up to join Kane in attack.

Tuchel has referenced Bellingham being an option for England in the future because of his intelligence, physique and bringing other players into the game. But England, like other nations, have a real problem when it comes to finding a classic centre forward.

Brian Madjo - Aston Villa

The 17-year-old was born in London, had a journey which took him to Metz and then Aston Villa and a drawn out transfer. He is strong, 6ft 4in and scored in the European Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain which underlines his potential. Has scored four goals in nine games for England under-17s.

Liam Delap - Nottingham Forest

He is the quiz question about which player under 27 has scored in the Champions League. He is big, strong and has potential. He definitely made the wrong move to Chelsea, did not play enough and now should get a fresh start at Nottingham Forest.

Will Lankshear - Middlesbrough

The 21-year-old has to get a mention because of the Harry Kane similarities. He was at Spurs, went out on loan and scored goals at Oxford. He has gone to Middlesbrough permanently with a big sell-on clause and his inclusion in the England under-21s means he must get a mention.

Vincent Joseph - Arsenal

His move from Liverpool to Arsenal - an increasing trend among academy players and graduates - caught the eye. He has been prolific for England under-18s and, while it is always hard to predict, Arsenal have seen something.

Chizaram Ezenwata - Chelsea

The 18-year-old Chelsea starlet has been prolific for various England age groups and is with the under-19s now. He is big, strong - he is 6ft 2in tall - and the London-born forward is gaining a growing reputation.

Shimi Mueka - Chelsea

The Chelsea prospect is currently on loan at Celtic and was the Premier League’s under-21 player of the season last year. Mheuka became Chelsea’s youngest-ever starter in a European competition against Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League, aged 17 years and 173 days.

Ale Rodriguez - Lyon

The 18-year-old was born in Venezuela and is currently on loan at Annecy from Lyon. But has represented England from under-15s to under-20s and is highly thought of. Keep an eye.