England were fortunate when it came to the tail end of Wayne Rooney’s international career.<\/p>\n
Just as he was winding down, Kane broke into the international set-up when scoring 80 seconds into his debut – as a substitute for the Manchester United striker – against Lithuania in 2015. <\/p>\n
It was a perfect handing of the baton, current record scorer to future record scorer.<\/p>\n
England do not seem to have the same luxury, but it is worth considering Kane’s career path.<\/p>\n
Unlike Rooney at Everton or Michael Owen at Liverpool, Kane did not burst on to the scene with his club as a teenager. <\/p>\n
Kane had to learn his trade in loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City.<\/p>\n
It was not until 2014-15 season, with Kane aged 21, that he got a chance at Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure as manager. He seemed to come from nowhere to score 21 Premier League goals and 32 in all competitions.<\/p>\n
There are countless tales of prolific academy strikers who never make the top level in senior football.<\/p>\n
Take Charlie McNeill, who scored 110 goals and had 38 assists in 72 matches for Manchester City’s youth teams.<\/p>\n
He moved to Manchester United, becoming only the club’s second player to score 20 goals in one season at academy level.<\/p>\n
Yet McNeill made one first-team appearance for the club as a substitute in a Europa League match against Real Sociedad in September 2022. Now 22, he plays for Sheffield Wednesday in League One.<\/p>\n
Eddie Nketiah is the all-time record scorer for England Under-21s with 16 goals, yet after leaving Arsenal for Crystal Palace he has failed to shine. In two seasons, he has scored only five Premier League goals.<\/p>\n
There are plenty of wide forwards, or number 10s, for England at youth level – Arsenal’s Max Dowman and Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha to name two – but few number nines.<\/p>\n