Just 45 days after lining up together for England in the World Cup 2026 third-place play-off, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney were sharing a pitch again - but in very different surroundings.
This time, the two strikers were on opposing teams and had swapped the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena, as Watkins marked his Al Hilal debut with a goal in a 3-0 win over Toney’s Al-Ahli on Tuesday.
The former Aston Villa star’s move to the Saudi Pro League means that none of the three centre forwards in England’s World Cup 2026 squad are playing in the Premier League - and it should mark a significant moment in the evolution of the Three Lions’ strike-force.
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Why Thomas Tuchel must be brave and refresh England’s forward line
While the merits of leaving the Premier League for Saudi Arabia are a matter of opinion, one thing’s for certain: England’s strikers are not getting any younger.
Watkins and Toney are both 30 years old, while Harry Kane turned 33 in July. The latter remains one of the best centre forwards in the world, scoring a frankly ridiculous 73 goals in 65 games for Bayern Munich and England last season, and will surely still be his country’s captain when Euro 2028 rolls around.
Whether Watkins and Toney will be at that tournament is up for debate. The pair will both be 32 when the Euros begins and are likely to spend the next two seasons playing in the Saudi Pro League.
That in itself is not necessarily a barrier to getting a call-up, as head coach Thomas Tuchel showed by picking Toney for the June 2025 international window and then recalling him for the World Cup. However, the German already uses both players sparsely and playing in Saudi Arabia is unlikely to change that.
Watkins has won just six caps under Tuchel, playing a total of 177 minutes, with his only starts coming in friendlies against Wales and New Zealand. He featured just twice at the World Cup - once against Panama, when England were 2-0 up, and as a half-time substitute in the third-place play-off against France, with the Three Lions leading 4-0. Toney has played just 122 minutes across four games since Tuchel arrived, although he did start the third-place play-off.
It was notable that neither player was called upon when England needed a goal in the 0-0 group-stage draw with Ghana, or when the games against Panama or DR Congo were in the balance. Toney was brought on with seconds left of the semi-final defeat by Argentina.
That suggests Tuchel isn’t sold on Watkins or Toney, so with both strikers in their 30s and playing in a division that is - with all due respect - a step down from the Premier League, surely it’s time to look elsewhere?
The obvious response to that is, well, who else is there? The dearth of English centre forwards has been a hot topic for several years, with Kane the only truly world-class player in that position and limited options in reserve.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dominic Solanke appear to be next in line, having been selected for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in March. Solanke featured in both games, starting against the South Americans before being replaced by Calvert-Lewin in the 56th minute for the latter’s one runout. However, neither player seized their chance and missed out on the World Cup squad.
Solanke and Calvert-Lewin will be aged 30 and 31 respectively at Euro 2028, but with just 17 senior caps combined, they are hardly proven international strikers. Additionally, while Calvert-Lewin enjoyed a good season at Leeds United last term, Solanke currently can’t get into Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League starting XI.
It is why this is the perfect time for a phased changing of the guard when it comes to England’s strikeforce. None of the players mentioned above are long-term options, so Tuchel should start integrating those who could be part of the squad for a decade or more.
This autumn’s Nations League games may come too early, but then come the Euro 2028 qualifiers, which start next March and hold even less jeopardy than usual for Tuchel’s men. Two places at the tournament will be reserved for the best-ranked co-hosts who fail to qualify, so even if England slip up, they just need to outperform two of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
It gives Tuchel plenty of time to look at different players, as well as being an opportunity for the next generation of strikers to force their way into his plans.
Liam Delap leads that group, having already starred in the Premier League when he scored 12 goals for relegated Ipswich Town in 2024/25. The 23-year-old endured a difficult season at Chelsea last term but should be Nottingham Forest’s main man after they spent a club-record £50m to sign him last month. If he hits the ground running, an England call-up in November is not out of the question.
Further down the list is Will Lankshear, who left Tottenham for Championship promotion contenders Middlesbrough this summer for a fee that could rise to £20m. The 21-year-old scored 12 goals on loan at Oxford United during their relegation from the second tier last term and has struck seven times in his first seven games for Boro.
If Lankshear continues to score regularly he will surely be a Premier League player this time next year, whether with Middlesbrough or someone else, increasing his chances of a call-up.
Another one to watch is Villa’s Brian Madjo, who capped an eye-catching performance with a goal against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup last month. The striker does not turn 18 until January and is currently injured, but should get plenty of minutes when he returns to fitness.
If he impresses in the Premier League, he could be a viable option for Tuchel’s Euros squad.
Of course, the likes of Delap, Lankshear and Madjo must hold up their side of the bargain, but Tuchel also has to be brave enough to select them over safer, more experienced options that he is clearly unconvinced by. He may well thank himself for it when Euro 2028 comes around.
