Key Highlights
- Heskey discusses the decline of out-and-out strikers in English football.
- Kane is the only striker named in Tuchel’s 25-man squad for World Cup qualifiers.
- No clear path to replace Kane if he were injured, according to Heskey.
- Only eight English strikers have appeared in Premier League this season.
The Decline of the Traditional Number Nine: England’s Striker Crisis
Emile Heskey, a former Liverpool and Leicester striker, expressed concerns over the lack of clear successors for England’s out-and-out strikers. In an interview with The Wayne Rooney Show, he highlighted that traditionally, it was evident who would step up as the next leading scorer for the national team.
“We’ve been lucky over the years we could see where the next strikers were coming,” Heskey said. “We had a chain of players who could go from that next level, I came in after Alan Shearer and Rooney came after me, but where do we look now?”
The Current State of English Strikers
Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, despite his 76 goals for England, is the lone striker named in Thomas Tuchel’s 25-man squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania. This situation has raised questions about England’s forward depth, especially if Kane were to face an injury.
The Premier League, which typically serves as a breeding ground for top talent, has seen only eight English strikers make appearances this season. Among these, Liam Delap, a 22-year-old from Chelsea, is the youngest player under 26 in the league. However, his inclusion was limited due to an ongoing issue.
Reasons Behind the Striker Crisis
Roy Keane, former England captain and current pundit, suggested that the decline of traditional number nines is a global phenomenon. He pointed out that players now prefer roles like Mo Salah or Lionel Messi, where they can have more creative freedom.
“Everyone wants to be a Mo Salah or a Lionel Messi,” Keane stated. “Playing as a forward now you don’t touch the ball as much—you have to be ruthless like Erling Haaland is and Kylian Mbappe.”
Heskey further elaborated on how modern football has changed the role of strikers, noting that forwards no longer need to chase down balls into channels or win flick-ons. “Forwards had to be so much more involved when we were playing,” he said. “You’d have to chase things into the channel, you’d have to win the flick-ons.”
Implications for England’s Future
The current state of English strikers raises concerns about the national team’s future. With Kane being 32 years old and only one clear option available in the Premier League, England faces a challenge in maintaining their attacking prowess.
Heskey’s sons, Reigan and Jaden, who recently made their first-team debuts for Manchester City, may be part of the solution. However, it remains to be seen whether they can fill the void left by older strikers like Kane.
The situation highlights a broader trend in world football where traditional roles are evolving, and finding players capable of filling these specific positions is becoming increasingly difficult.
