Should England change for 66-goal Harry Kane? Three Lions captain ‘hasn’t lost ability to score’ as potential solution to Euro 2024 struggles identified

Harry Kane may benefit from having a strike partner alongside him, says Emile Heskey, but England’s captain “hasn’t lost the ability to score goals”.

• • WHAT HAPPENED?

    The prolific Bayern Munich frontman has found the target on 66 occasions for his country through 98 appearances. Nobody has got close to matching that return, with Kane continuing to raise the bar of individual excellence.

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      THE BIGGER PICTURE

      His long wait for major honours is well documented, with that barren run extended when suffering defeat in the Euro 2024 final. Questions were asked of Kane’s role at that tournament, with the 31-year-old either looking isolated up top by himself or dropping too deep in an effort to get involved in build-up play.

    • • WHAT HESKEY SAID

        Former England forward Heskey has told BetMGM of trying to bring the best out of Kane, while having no concerns regarding his value to the collective cause: “To change our formations and structures to just suit Kane would be a big decision, and he’s still effective in what they do now if you look at his record. Kane understood England’s system under Gareth Southgate, he’s a fantastic player and is England’s record goal scorer, and he hasn’t lost his ability to score goals.

        “It’s very difficult at times when you’re not getting the touch of the ball as a forward. You want to go hunting for it to try and make something happen to contribute to the game. I think playing someone up front with him could allow for a different structure and would allow him to go wandering a bit more. However, the reality with Kane is that he’s a number nine. He needs to stay at number nine, as high up as possible, and allow his team-mates to get the ball into him at the right time to do his job, scoring goals and winning England games, which he is still doing now.”

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        WHAT NEXT?

        Kane – who hit 44 goals for Bayern last season, earning him the European Golden Shoe – has already been back on target at club level in 2024-25. He is now hoping to retain captaincy and starting duties for England as they prepare to open another UEFA Nations League campaign against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday.