Harry Kane would not commit to being around for 2030. "It's too early to talk about that," he said, and the answer lands against a simple backdrop: England still lean heavily on him, and the alternatives behind him do not look settled.

Kane has 85 goals in 124 appearances for England. He played almost every minute across 7 matches, with only two late substitutions against Panama and Mexico. Ollie Watkins managed only 6 minutes in the whole tournament, while I. Toney got only a few stoppage-time minutes against Argentina.

England’s backup options

The depth problem is the real issue here. Kane’s tournament workload showed how much was asked of him, and the cover underneath him was light enough that England kept going back to the same source.

Liam Delap joined Chelsea for £30m after leaving relegated Ipswich Town, but scored only 1 league goal in his first season. Eddie Nketiah is England Under-21s’ all-time record scorer with 16 goals, yet he has scored only 5 Premier League goals in 2 seasons at Crystal Palace. Will Lankshear scored 12 goals for Oxford United and is viewed as one of the more viable young options, but that still reads as a prospect, not a finished answer.

The false nine fallback

The other route is more makeshift. Jude Bellingham scored 6 goals in 7 World Cup appearances, with a 7.84 rating, and could be used higher up the pitch as an emergency option. That is not the same as having a natural successor to Kane, but it is the kind of workaround England may have to lean on if the centre-forward pool stays this thin.

Thomas Tuchel was clear about why Kane can end up deeper when England are pinned back: "That's what you do if [you] defend in a block. That's what team spirit and mentality is translated to. If we are pushed back in a deep block then Harry defends in a deep block."

Kane is still producing at the top end for Bayern München, and his England record remains the starting point for any future debate. But his refusal to talk about 2030 keeps the succession question open, and right now England do not have a natural No 9 who makes that conversation go away. The next squad will tell us a bit more, but not enough to end it.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →