Euro 2020 Qualifiers: 4 reasons why Tammy Abraham should start for England

#3 Prevents Harry Kane from suffering Rooney syndrome

Wayne Rooney became undroppable for England regardless of form - the same cannot happen to Harry Kane

For years, England fans debated over whether former captain Wayne Rooney deserved the apparently special treatment he often received. A force of nature in his early days, dropping Rooney during his prime years of 2004 to 2010 seemed unthinkable, but as his star began to wane, it seemed like then-manager Roy Hodgson was still unable to let go and run with someone else in Rooney’s spot instead.

Essentially, this meant that England went to two major tournaments – World Cup 2014 and Euro 2016 – with a largely off-form, past-his-prime Rooney leading the line.

Rooney is now long gone of course, but the aura of invincibility that once hovered around him is threatening to move onto England’s current captain, Spurs striker Harry Kane. Right now it’s hardly a fair comparison – Kane is in the prime of his career and is continually scoring goals for England, including 8 in the current Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.

But Kane also hasn’t been in the best form for Tottenham as of late, while Abraham has been banging goals in regularly for Chelsea while playing at an outstanding level. Southgate’s loyalty to the players who have performed well for him in the past is admirable – and few if any have been better than Kane – but starting Abraham over the current captain would certainly send a message that nobody’s England spot is guaranteed.

Even if Abraham replaces Kane for just one of these games, it’d prevent any Rooney-like discussions from surrounding the Tottenham striker, and make it known that Southgate isn’t willing to make the same mistakes that his predecessor did.