England strikers told how to oust Cristiano Ronaldo-esque Harry Kane as record-breaking goalscorer & Three Lions captain refuses to take a breather

England were flat in a routine 2-0 World Cup qualifier against Andorra, with Kane cutting an isolated figure at the top of the pitch. The selection of the forward for every game has raised questions with former Chelsea players Scott Minto and Tony Cascarino disagreeing over Kane's place in the team. Minto believes that Kane's deputy Ollie Watkins should be given more starts in order to build his confidence should Kane's languid tournament performances persist. However, Cascarino likens Kane to Cristiano Ronaldo and believes the England captain's mentality means he won't want to miss a game.

Speaking to TalkSPORT, Minto said: “The last thing we need is Harry Kane to be playing every single game to the point where we go into another tournament. if he's not playing well then it seems like we can't drop Harry Kane.

“As he [Watkins] is the number two in this particular squad, he needs to feel that he has belief from the manager.

“I just think if Harry Kane's starting both games, then at what point do you get that belief?

“My point is that Ollie Watkins needs to be shown faith.”

Cascarino took a different approach. To TalkSport, he said: “Harry is the record goal scorer. He keeps adding to that and you could argue that he wants to get more, wants to get to an even bigger one.

“Cristiano Ronaldo has done that nearly all his career. [Lionel] Messi and Ronaldo, the top two players in the world, certainly over the last couple of decades, they've wanted to play all the time.

“You're scratching your head sometimes with Ronaldo because you think, how can he possibly play Armenia away?

“He goes and wants to play. Harry is in that mindset. So I understand it.

“Maybe whoever is number two has to do even better at club levels to have a chance of being used a bit more.

“There are players who just want to play every game.”

Kane has been almost ever-present for England since making his debut and has scored 73 goals in 108 caps. Despite this, the England captain's place in the side has come under fire for a series of languid performances at major tournaments. An abysmal European Championships in 2024 followed a costly missed penalty in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final against France to raise enough doubts around Kane's untouchable status in the Three Lions team ahead of next summer's World Cup.

Thomas Tuchel will have a chance to rotate his team on Tuesday against Serbia, but it remains to be seen whether he will swap Kane out for Watkins. The Three Lions have been unconvincing so far, but sit top of the group with four wins from four games.