POV: No Kane, No Gain (Joe Citrone)

Joe Citrone shares his concerns about what the future could hold for England post-Harry Kane…

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I posted a tweet the other day that gained a bit of attention after Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in the DFB-Pokal final, helping Vincent Kompany’s side add yet another trophy to the cabinet.

Watching the clip back – watching him be extraordinary all over again – it suddenly hit me: we could be approaching Kane’s final World Cup. Or, at the very least, the last one where he arrives at the absolute peak of his incredible powers.

On one hand, it made me excited to see what he could bring to what may be his final World Cup on football’s biggest stage in North America next summer. But on the other, it left me wondering how anyone could possibly fill the void once he eventually hangs up his boots.

There are no obvious candidates waiting in the wings, either. Current back-up striker Ollie Watkins will be 34 by the time the next World Cup rolls around, while the younger hopes – Liam Delap, for example – still feel a million miles away from being capable of replacing someone like Kane.

Should we be more worried than we are about what the future could hold post-Kane? And why does England seem capable of producing endless attacking midfielders, yet so few traditional centre-forwards? Is something going wrong in the way young English talent is being developed?

Realisation kicking in that this summer will probably be his last World Cup.

Will we ever have a striker as good again? https://t.co/RsQb5Ms8F2

— Joe Citrone (@Joe_Citrone) May 23, 2026

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