Middlesbrough: Michael Owen's bold Will Lankshear claim as Friday announcement looms | OneFootball

Michael Owen has backed Will Lankshear to receive a call-up to the England squad from Thomas Tuchel

Michael Owen has urged England manager Thomas Tuchel to consider calling up Middlesbrough striker Will Lankshear.

The forward has made a promising start to life with the Teesside outfit since arriving from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.

The 21-year-old has scored six goals from seven games in the Championship, with Kim Hellberg’s side aiming to fight for promotion this year.

Boro missed out on a place in the Premier League last season, losing in the play-off final to Hull City.

Lankshear was one of 12 additions at the Riverside in the summer, with the club hoping that this fresh investment can be the difference between staying in the Championship and returning to the top flight for the first time since 2017.

Meanwhile, England reached the semi-finals of the World Cup last summer under Tuchel before losing to Argentina.

Michael Owen makes Will Lankshear England claim

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Owen believes that Tuchel should consider calling up Lankshear, as there are so few promising young strikers going around these days and he is already showing a lot of potential.

The former striker is concerned at how the number of top players in that position has declined, and that Tuchel has to think about the Middlesbrough star after his strong start to the campaign.

“You have to consider [Lankshear] and look at any striker like that,” said Owen, via Teamtalk.

“I think there is a dearth of strikers; we know the game has changed.

“We don’t see two strikers anymore, and squads are not really carrying four or five strikers like they used to, so it is inevitable we have that dearth of strikers.

“So anyone who shows that bit of potential like him, our eyes have got to be drawn toward him and have a look at them.”

Lankshear spent time at Arsenal and Sheffield United at academy level before coming through the ranks at Spurs.

However, he only made three league appearances for the London outfit, going out on loan to the likes of Oxford United and West Brom in recent seasons.

And the 21-year-old is now displaying a strong run of goal scoring form for Boro after arriving in a deal that could rise to a club record fee of £20 million.

England’s forward options

Harry Kane is England’s obvious choice to lead the line, as he is one of the top strikers in the world and is still playing at the top of his game even at 33.

But the backup options behind the Bayern Munich star aren’t as impressive, and it remains to be seen who will be selected when the squad for the upcoming international break is announced on Friday.

Ollie Watkins has made the move to Saudi Arabia, where Ivan Toney also plies his trade, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin has made a promising start to the season with Leeds United.

Otherwise, there are options such as Danny Welbeck, Tammy Abraham and Dominic Solanke.

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Will Lankshear’s form should have him on Thomas Tuchel’s radar

It might be too soon for Lankshear to receive a call up to the senior England squad, but his current form should certainly have him on Tuchel’s radar at this point.

There are more experienced options to choose from for the upcoming break, but it is concerning that the majority of strikers are now into the later stages of their career.

Someone like Lankshear coming through is important for England, who will have to move on from some of these players in the next two to four years, potentially including Kane.

While it’s unlikely he’ll be named in Friday’s squad, the Nations League does offer Tuchel the chance to experiment and maybe he’ll have a chance of making the November team if he can continue his impressive form in the Championship between now and then.