Why England are struggling to find the next Harry Kane as Stan Collymore highlights worrying striker shortage

Harry Kane continues to rewrite England’s record books, but a growing concern is emerging behind the scenes: who replaces him when he eventually steps away?

The Bayern Munich striker remains the undisputed leader of the Three Lions attack and has shown little sign of slowing down despite approaching his 33rd birthday. However, former England forward Stan Collymore believes the lack of a clear successor is becoming an increasingly serious issue for both England and world football.

Kane still has years left at the top

Fortunately for England, there is no immediate succession crisis.

Kane has repeatedly spoken about extending his career well into his late thirties, taking inspiration from global icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. With the England captain still performing at an elite level and continuing to score consistently for both club and country, there remains time for a potential heir to emerge.

The problem, according to Collymore, is that there currently appears to be nobody obvious coming through the system.

A global shortage of elite strikers

The former Liverpool, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest striker believes the issue extends far beyond England.

While previous generations were packed with prolific centre-forwards such as Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, Andy Cole and Robbie Fowler, modern football has produced far fewer traditional No.9s.

Outside of players like Kane, Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland, there are surprisingly few world-class strikers dominating the game.

Speaking exclusively to GOAL in association with BetWright, Collymore explained: “I think that in the last 15 or 20 years, most teams play with a front three. I speak to a lot of coaches and they say nobody wants to be a striker because nobody wants the responsibility.

“They all want to be wide forwards. They get the skills, they get to cut inside, they get to shoot, but they’re not judged purely on goals.”

Why young players are avoiding the No.9 role

Collymore believes tactical changes throughout football have dramatically altered how young players view attacking positions.

Traditional centre-forwards are judged almost entirely on goalscoring output, while wide attackers enjoy greater freedom and less scrutiny.

“If you’re a centre-forward, you’re judged on one thing, and that’s goals,” Collymore said.

The former England international pointed to his own playing days as a stark contrast to modern football.

“When I was a young player and sometimes played wide, if you cut inside and didn’t score, you got the mother of all bollockings because you weren’t there to score. You were there to put it on a plate for the centre-forwards.”

Today’s game operates very differently, with goals shared across front threes rather than focused on one central striker.

England’s worrying lack of depth

The issue becomes particularly concerning when assessing England’s current options behind Kane.

Ollie Watkins remains the most credible alternative, but beyond him, the depth chart looks thin. Collymore highlighted the fact that players such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Danny Welbeck have recently been discussed as potential backup options.

He also expressed concern about the next generation.

“You go to the Under-21s, the Under-18s and the Under-17s, and there are no strikers coming through,” he warned.

That lack of emerging talent leaves England increasingly reliant on Kane extending his international career for as long as possible.

Can football bring back the traditional No.9?

Despite the current trend, Collymore believes football is cyclical and hopes the game will eventually return to systems that encourage the development of specialist strikers.

He pointed to recent tactical revivals, including Arsenal’s set-piece dominance and Paris Saint-Germain’s willingness to play more direct football, as evidence that old ideas often become fashionable again.

“I hope that in five or 10 years’ time teams will be playing some variation of 4-4-2 and two strikers up front,” he said.

For now, however, England’s dependence on Kane remains undeniable.

As long as the Bayern Munich star continues scoring at an extraordinary rate, the problem can be delayed. But unless the next generation of English forwards begins to emerge, replacing the country’s greatest-ever goalscorer could become one of the biggest challenges facing the national team.