Former England striker Emile Heskey has expressed his concern over the lack of clear succession to the traditional number nine role, a position that was once considered an easy thing to identify for potential replacements.
Heskey believes it is becoming increasingly difficult to see where the next main England striker will come from, following the decline in the quality and quantity of strikers who can fill this specific role in recent years. The former Liverpool and Leicester forward made 62 appearances for England between 1999 and 2010, but even he cannot pinpoint a clear chain of players who could succeed him.
The current crop of English strikers is relatively thin on the ground, with only eight players appearing in the Premier League this season. The age-old question of where the next generation of number nines will come from seems to be becoming increasingly pressing for England's manager and fans alike.
Heskey believes it is becoming increasingly difficult to see where the next main England striker will come from, following the decline in the quality and quantity of strikers who can fill this specific role in recent years. The former Liverpool and Leicester forward made 62 appearances for England between 1999 and 2010, but even he cannot pinpoint a clear chain of players who could succeed him.
The current crop of English strikers is relatively thin on the ground, with only eight players appearing in the Premier League this season. The age-old question of where the next generation of number nines will come from seems to be becoming increasingly pressing for England's manager and fans alike.
, but it never does 
. I mean Emile Heskey had a solid run, no doubt about that 
️, but even he's having trouble finding the next big thing. And honestly, its a bit harsh on younger players who are trying their best, you know? They need time and space to develop, but at the same time, fans and coaches alike are expecting them to just fill the void left by all those legendary strikers 
. Maybe we should be focusing on building up our youth teams and creating a more solid foundation for future generations 
?
. i'm not saying there aren't any talented players out there, but it's hard to find someone who can fill that specific role like the old guard used to 
.
. I think we need to look at the youth teams more seriously, find those hidden gems who can develop into top-class strikers. We can't keep relying on imports or players who aren't quite right for the job 
. The real issue is probably that England's youth system isn't producing as many talented strikers as it used to, and that's a bigger problem than just finding a replacement for Heskey 
I mean Emile Heskey played in an era where you had guys like Alan Shearer and Michael Owen dominating the pitch, now we're stuck with just a handful of decent forwards. what happened to all the young talent coming through? did we lose our way in scouting for striker talent? 