World Cup 2026: How does Thomas Tuchel fix England for Euro 2028?

Harry Kane was in the form of his life in the Bundesliga last season, scoring 61 goals in all competitions.

However, time is against the Bayern Munich forward, who will turn 33 on July 28.

The captain, who scored six goals in the World Cup, said it was “too early” to talk about playing in the final in 2030 after losing to Argentina.

But Kane will definitely be there at Euro 2028. Lifting the trophy on home soil could be the end of his international career.

So barring injury, it shouldn’t be a problem who starts first.

Tuchel’s main task is to devise a Plan B or find a capable replacement in case Kane is unavailable.

Phil Foden was given the chance to play in the false nine role against Uruguay in March, but he performed so poorly that he missed the World Cup.

Tuchel brought in two other centre-forwards, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney. But they were limited to one minor substitute each.

Watkins, the English striker who was the top scorer in the Premier League last season with 16 goals, played just six minutes when he replaced Kane against Panama.

Kane played every other minute except in stoppage time against Mexico, where he replaced Morgan Rogers.

Toney, who, like Watkins, is 30, suffered only the final throes of a stoppage-time against Argentina.

This shows that Kane is over-relied on and that alternatives need to be found to ease his workload as he approaches the age of 35.

Dominic Solanke (28) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (29) were the other forwards England used in the last 12 months.

Watkins, Leeds’ Calvert-Lewin (14) and Brighton’s 35-year-old attacker Danny Welbeck (13) were the only English forwards to reach double figures in the Premier League last season.

Age is not in the favor of any of these players and it is unclear where the new blood is coming from.

It was hoped that England Under-21 all-time record goalscorer Eddie Nketiah would be the next prolific striker to break through to youth levels.

However, the former Arsenal player has scored just five Premier League goals in two seasons at Crystal Palace.

Perhaps Liam Delap, who is only 23 and has scored 12 Premier League goals for Ipswich Town in 2024-25, could finally find his feet at Chelsea or a new club.

This could be a problem for another manager beyond Euro 2028 as Tuchel may think he has got Kane and that will see him through.