England manager Gareth Southgate has a decision to make about Harry Kane amid the striker's struggles at Euro 2024. That's according to former Three Lions frontman Ian Wright.
Despite scoring two goals, Kane has been less than convincing in England's run to the last four of Euro 2024. The captain has started every game but does not look his usual formidable self.
And as far as Wright is concerned, it can't go on for much longer which rather goes without saying as England have a maximum of two games left, beginning with Wednesday's huge semi-final showdown against the Netherlands in Dortmund.
VIDEO: Why Cody Gakpo's A Huge Problem For England
Talking on the Stick to Football podcast, Arsenal legend Wright – who scored nine goals in 33 caps for England between 1991 and 1998 – said: "When you look at the way that Harry Kane has played in the tournament up until this point, you can’t not watch him and say there’s something not right with him. He's not sharp; he's not in the box – and now we know Ivan Toney can go to that level and take a penalty [Toney scored in the quarter-final shootout win over Switzerland on Saturday].
"We need somebody who is going to be up there, linking and holding and causing problems for their defenders. At some stage, we're going to need to make that decision about what's going on – we can't just wait for that Harry Kane finish; at some stage, we might run out of time in that respect."
Wright is optimistic about England's chances against the Dutch, although he expects a tough test from Ronald Koeman's side. "I feel like they [the Netherlands] can score," he added, "especially with their second half performance [in their quarter-final win against Turkey]. I’d probably go 2-1 England – most popular score in football. What I saw of them, the way they played in the first half – if they start with Memphis [Depay] and [Cody] Gakpo, [they will score]."
Is Wright correct about Kane? Well, you'd be hard pushed to find anyone who thinks England's record goalscorer has produced a strong overall showing at Euro 2024.
As FourFourTwo sees it, there is absolutely a case to bring Toney into the fold from the start – not to replace Kane but to help bring the best out of him. The Brentford man has made an impact in both of his substitute appearances at the finals so far – the first of which came in the last 16 victory over Slovakia, where his beautifully guided header back across the box assisted Kane's extra-time winner.
Ian Wright was speaking on Stick to Football: The Overlap Special, brought to you by Sky Bet
More England stories
Fresh from producing the decisive save in England's latest penalty shootout triumph, Jordan Pickford finds himself immortalised in the new goalkeeping shirt of one of his old clubs.
As the Three Lions were booking their place in the semis, BBC anchor Gary Lineker had a slightly awkward moment on air...
