Carragher explains England omission of 16-goal striker, with Kane alternative revealed | OneFootball

Jamie Carragher has explained why he feels Thomas Tuchel decided against picking a striker with 16 England goals, and what he’ll therefore do if Harry Kane becomes unavailable.

Tuchel’s latest Three Lions squad included some interesting talking points. The returns of Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham were welcomed by many, while there was the intriguing selection of Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott.

Elsewhere, there was an omission of any striker beyond captain Kane, with Ollie Watkins out of form and Ivan Toney having played just two minutes in an England shirt since Euro 2024.

Brighton striker Danny Welbeck, who has 16 goals in an England shirt but last pulled one on in 2018, has six Premier League goals this term and has been mentioned as a potential inclusion in recent times.

However, Carragher has explained why he feels the striker has not been picked, and what Tuchel will do if Kane becomes unavailable.

“We’re lucky to have Harry Kane. I think there’s a lot of countries now looking for strikers.

“Rather than putting players in the squad who he doesn’t think are good enough, or because of their age, like Danny Welbeck, maybe he [Tuchel] thinks, ‘You know what, if Kane is out, we go with something different.’

“[Tuchel will] play with a false nine or use the wide areas and pack our midfield. Kane is a real standout for us. It’s a big drop off behind him.

“But that’s the nature of international squads at times. I think that’s where we are with the strikers right now.”

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England are blessed with a wealth of attacking talent in other forward areas. Marcus Rashford and Jarrod Bowen would both be able to play as a false nine, and have a respective 15 and five goal contributions this season.

Foden and Bellingham have also played through the middle on their own previously, so Tuchel has good options if Kane is ever unavailable.

That said, he would surely want one of the other strikers at his disposal to come good before the World Cup. Watkins would generally be a shoo-in for England of late, but the 20-cap striker has just one goal in 16 Aston Villa appearances this term.

Liam Delap seems an option if he can begin to have an impact at Chelsea. He has five England under-21 goal contributions to his name, but has yet to find the net since his move to Stamford Bridge.