Harry Kane will equal Peter Shilton’s record of making 125 appearances for England if he plays in all four of the forthcoming Nations League games.
Having already become the country’s most-capped outfield player, Kane is certain to beat Shilton’s all-time record and it has been futile to plot a succession plan for a man with unparalleled longevity.
But Kane cannot go on forever and the 33-year-old gave a hint that he is starting to consider what comes next, when he suggested this week that he could finish his career in MLS before switching to NFL.
Argentina are having to consider life without Lionel Messi, who will play his final international game against Benin on October 6, and there will come a time when England cannot rely solely on Kane.
Nobody has come close to Kane since he succeeded Wayne Rooney. Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney, who were Kane’s deputies at the World Cup, are not part of Thomas Tuchel’s squad. One might argue they are the latest strikers to have given up trying to take Kane’s place, having moved to Saudi Arabia.
Jamie Vardy retired from international football in 2018, aged 31, having quickly grown tired of playing second fiddle to Kane for England.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has earned a recall to the England squad for the games against Spain, Czech Republic home and away, and Croatia. But, aged 29, the Leeds United striker does not represent a long-term succession plan to Kane.
Dominic Solanke is short of form and confidence at Tottenham Hotspur, and Danny Welbeck, now at Chelsea, will celebrate his 36th birthday in November.
So who is England’s next long-term No 9? Here, Telegraph Sport picks out six strikers who Premier League insiders believe have a chance of one day succeeding Kane.
Delap’s move from Ipswich Town to Chelsea was meant to put him firmly in England contention, but the powerful striker saw his career stall thanks to a combination of injuries and disappointing form.
A move to Forest has given Delap the chance to reinvigorate his career and push himself back into the England conversation. His goal against Aston Villa – his first in the Premier League since January – gave a timely reminder of the 23-year-old’s ability but Delap must now prove he can be consistent.
Delap will be 25 when the home Euros come around in 2028 and should be entering the prime of his career in time for the next World Cup in 2030, when Kane will be 36.
A striker who has spent some time out on loan from Tottenham Hotspur before showing a knack for scoring…sound familiar?
Lankshear might not quite have Kane’s back story, having left Spurs permanently to kick-start his career in the Championship with Middlesbrough, but there are unmistakable similarities.
Just as Leicester City fans were not bowled over by Kane during his loan spell, West Bromwich Albion supporters may scoff at the idea of Lankshear playing for England, having seen him fail to score during his loan last year at The Hawthorns.
But Lankshear has scored eight goals in a prolific start to this season for Boro and is in line to make his first appearance for England Under-21s during this international break.
Aston Villa fans have been counting down the days for their next glimpse of Madjo after watching him become the youngest-ever Uefa Super Cup goalscorer against Paris St-Germain this summer.
An injury has stopped Madjo building on his eye-catching goal and performance against PSG, but it has not put an end to the excitement over the 17-year-old’s prospects.
John McGinn, the Villa captain, has already talked up Madjo’s potential and his enthusiasm for the well-built striker is matched by sources outside the Midlands club.
Madjo might have been under the BlueCo umbrella had Strasbourg, Chelsea’s sister club, not been beaten by Villa to his £10m signing from FC Metz.
Villa believe they have a gem and England might just have one too.
Banging in goals for Leyton Orient was a recipe for future success for Kane, who spent half a season on loan at the east London club, and Ballard has followed suit in that respect. Twenty-three goals in League One for Orient earned Ballard a summer move to Bristol City and he has started promisingly in the Championship by scoring three goals so far.
Ballard has also scored goals through the England age groups, having scored for the Under-18s, U19s and U20s. At last season’s EFL awards, he was named League One player of the year and young player of the year, as well as being named in the team of the year.
He may be some way from making the step up to the Premier League, let alone international football, but Ballard has made rapid progress over the past year and sources believe he is still some way from hitting his ceiling.
Chelsea have a couple of teenage strikers who could provide a solution to England’s post-Kane problem. One is Mheuka, who is on loan at Celtic this season, and has scored 16 goals in 23 appearances for England’s Under-19s.
Mheuka became Chelsea’s youngest-ever starter in a European competition against Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League, aged 17 years and 173 days.
Ezenwata is causing a lot of excitement inside Chelsea and within the England youth system, having scored five goals in eight appearances for the U17s and six goals in 10 games for the U18s.
A stocky and muscular striker, Ezenwata has all of the physical attributes to cope with the demands of the men’s game at the top level and is worth keeping an eye on having made a big impression in every age group so far.