It’s almost a year to the day that Harry Kane got his first Premier League start for Tottenham Hotspur. 59 minutes in he scored to cap off a fine debut, on a run in which he’d score in his first three consecutive games.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago and he was marking his first cap for England with a goal that didn’t take 59 minutes, but just 79 seconds. It’s been a meteoric rise for the 21-year-old, and has proved all is not dead when it comes to English talent.
The Spurs man looks dead-set to become an England regular, but with Kane’s rise to stardom coming in such a short space of time, could we see any more young striking talent come from the relatively unknown and onto the plane to France next summer?
We take a look at who could be the next Premier League starlet to put himself amongst the goals and perhaps even give Roy Hodgson a headache.
Patrick Bamford
There’s no doubt Harry Kane will be on that plane to France. In fact he’ll have significantly boosted their chances of winning, the Paddy Power England 2016 odds have them ahead of Italy, Holland, Belgium, and Portugal in fact, but another man who is making a bit of a name for himself currently is Patrick Bamford.
Currently plying his trade for Middlesbrough in the Championship, the Chelsea loanee has helped catapult the north east club to title challengers, and has even proved he can do it at the top level with a stunning performance against Manchester City in the FA Cup.
He’ll no doubt be loaned out again next season, but you can bet it’ll be to a Premier League side, and he’ll be amongst the goals yet again.
James Wilson
It was under Ryan Giggs’ tenure in which James Wilson made his debut as a Manchester United senior. And it was a debut which saw him smash a brace against Hull City, getting his career as a Red Devil off to a stunning start.
This season has been less successful for him, but there’s still plenty of praise for the young striker, who has a big future ahead of him.
The 19-year-old is a throwback to the Class of 92, with a pacey swagger, and an eagerness which has been lacking in the likes of Robin Van Persie and Radamel Falcao. Whilst they look dejected, Wilson looks invigorated, relishing every moment as a Manchester United player. Don’t be surprised to see more of him next season, and maybe even knocking on the door of the Three Lions.
Jerome Sinclair
Life as a Liverpool striker is tough at the moment. Between Balotelli, Lambert, and Fabio Borini the back of the net has been found just four times in the Premier League, whilst Daniel Sturridge has been plagued with injury throughout the campaign.
Brendan Rodgers will have to take a serious look at his squad for next season, and what that may mean is a chance for 18-year-old Jerome Sinclair to shine. Of course, it’ll be a while before he shines like Sturridge does, or Raheem Sterling for that matter, but both the club and the fans have a lot of belief in the man currently on loan at Wigan.
He already has the honour of being Liverpool’s youngest ever player, and will no doubt become a star for the club, particularly with the Reds regularly pushing youngsters into the first team.