Will Lankshear and the search for England’s next number nine

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There is a shortage of orthodox centre-forwards in the English game, and the role of understudy to Harry Kane has become one of the most specialised – and least rewarding – jobs in international football.

For the national side, Kane remains central to everything. Fresh from winning the Ballon d’Or, he is England captain, record goalscorer and a dominant figure in Thomas Tuchel’s team. He likes to play virtually every minute when fit, leaving limited opportunity for any back-up striker to build rhythm or a body of work at international level.

A demanding role behind an undisputed first choice

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has felt the effects of that reality. The forward has been selected in England squads both before and after the last World Cup and is performing well for Leeds United, yet under Tuchel it “has not quite clicked”. In the most recent international window he featured only briefly, playing 15 minutes across two substitute appearances.

That pattern reflects a structural issue rather than just individual form. With Kane rarely rotated, the reserve striker must be ready to influence games from the bench, accept limited minutes and adapt to a system built primarily around the captain’s strengths rather than their own.

Tuchel has already experimented with an alternative approach by using Jude Bellingham as a back-up to Kane. Deploying an attacking midfielder as a false nine offers tactical flexibility but underlines how few established, traditional number nines are available at senior level.

Lankshear’s rise from Tottenham prospect to Championship focal point

Against that backdrop, the emergence of Will Lankshear has drawn attention. The 21-year-old, who – like Kane – began his career at Tottenham Hotspur, moved to Middlesbrough this summer in a £20m transfer.

Since that move he has produced the kind of numbers that are difficult for any national coach to ignore. Lankshear has scored 15 goals in all competitions so far this campaign, including 13 goals in 13 Championship matches, form that has helped Middlesbrough climb to the top of the division.

Those returns are significant in the context of the English football pyramid. The Championship is a demanding, 46-game league season under the auspices of the English Football League, with a congested schedule and varied playing styles. Strikers who thrive there must cope with physical defences, quick turnarounds and high tactical demands – attributes that translate well to international football, where intensity and adaptation are essential.

From Under-21 breakthrough to senior consideration

Lankshear’s progress has also been recognised at youth international level. He made his debut for the England Under-21s during the last international window and marked the occasion with a goal.

Moving from Under-21 level to the senior squad within a matter of months would represent a rapid rise, particularly for a player not currently in the Premier League. It would also be a notable selection signal from Tuchel: that sustained performance in the second tier can be enough to break into the senior set-up, even without top-flight exposure.

Under the eligibility and competition structures set by The Football Association, England managers are free to select players from any domestic division, but call-ups from outside the Premier League have become increasingly rare in recent years. A Championship forward stepping directly into the role of Kane’s understudy would therefore stand out as both a meritocratic and strategic decision.

Tuchel’s options – and what a call-up would represent

Tuchel is aware of Lankshear’s form and profile. With a lack of specialist number nines across England’s age groups, the Middlesbrough striker presents a different type of option to the current alternatives.

For the manager, the decision in a shorter international window is finely balanced:

• Stick with a versatile solution by continuing to use Bellingham as an auxiliary striker.
• Persist with an experienced centre-forward such as Calvert-Lewin, who knows the international environment but has limited recent minutes under Tuchel.
• Expand the pool by promoting an in-form Championship forward in Lankshear, banking on club momentum and long-term potential.

Any move toward Lankshear would not only be a reward for outstanding domestic form; it would also be a statement about succession planning in a key position. With Kane still the clear first choice, England are nonetheless obliged to think beyond the present era and to test options who might carry the goalscoring burden in future qualifying campaigns and tournaments.

For Middlesbrough, continued involvement and recognition at international level would underline the club’s role as a platform for young talent and heighten the competitive and commercial value of a player signed only this summer. For England, it would be an attempt to address a well-documented gap in the pathway of traditional centre-forwards.

Tuchel has never been reluctant to make bold selections. In a landscape short of specialist number nines, a Championship striker with prolific early-season form may yet find that the jump from Under-21 debutant to senior squad contender is smaller than it once appeared.