Harry Kane given unique billing in England squad that Jude Bellingham will never enjoy as Joe Cole answers ‘over-reliant’ question

Having made his senior debut in 2015, netting within 80 seconds of stepping off the bench to replace Wayne Rooney in a European Championship qualifying clash with Lithuania, Kane has taken his international goal tally to 78.

It has been suggested that he could emulate the efforts of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by becoming a centurion on that front. He has already passed that mark in terms of appearances and is just 13 caps short of matching Peter Shilton’s record for England.

That bar should be raised in the not too distant future, with Kane very much in contention to become the GOAT of English football. Major honours will be required in order to tick that box, having become a two-time Bundesliga title winner with Bayern Munich.

He has found the target on 139 occasions for them through 143 games, with a career-best return of 54 goals being posted this season. The 32-year-old continues to get better with age and is considered to be crucial to England’s hopes of ending 60 years of hurt at the 2026 World Cup.

Given their struggles in the final third during friendly dates with Uruguay and Japan in March, many have argued that the Three Lions are in danger of becoming over-reliant on Kane - with there no obvious candidate to step in and fill the biggest of boots if a talismanic presence is unavailable.

Ex-England star Cole - who has come out of retirement to make a goal-scoring appearance for Warley FC, Specsavers’ Best Worst Team, during a one-day loan deal - is not convinced that Kane has to play in order for England to win, but concedes that the most fearsome No.9 on the planet has taken on a special role.

Cole, who has 56 caps to his name, told GOAL when asked about Kane’s value to the England cause: “I wouldn't say over-reliant. He's the only player that's irreplaceable in the squad.

“If Bellingham gets injured, you've got Cole Palmer, Morgan Rodgers, Phil Foden to step up. There's no other player you'd say, even [Jordan] Pickford in goal now, you'd say [James] Trafford - I've seen Trafford and I think he looks like we're not going to drop off if he comes in.

“With Harry, respect to the other strikers, they're different to him. I think what Thomas Tuchel has looked at with Bayern is if Harry plays as the No. 9 and he gets maybe [Anthony] Gordon or [Marcus] Rashford on one side, [Bukayo] Saka, [Noni] Madueke on the other side, they're runners. And then Bellingham is joining from the midfield.

“All of the others can be replaced, Harry can't. [Ollie] Watkins can't do what Harry can do - dropping into the pocket and everything, being as clinical as Harry.”

Cole has billed Kane as the “greatest No.9” that England have ever seen, with the likes of Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer considered to have been overtaken in that department. It is difficult to argue against that, given all that the former Tottenham striker has achieved and the promise of even more to come.

Kane is in the running for Ballon d’Or recognition in 2026, as Bayern ready themselves for the second leg of an epic Champions League semi-final clash with European kings Paris Saint-Germain, and has come a long way from humble beginnings as he serves as an inspiration to promising youngsters and stars of the grassroots game.

Warley FC's transformation is being documented by Specsavers in its ‘Best Worst Team’ YouTube series. Watch Joe Cole in episode 9 and subscribe to the Specsavers’ Best Worst Team YouTube Channel to follow the team's journey.