It’s fair to say that the Three Lions haven’t achieved great success on the international stage in recent years. It’s been more than a decade since the England national team have navigated their way to the last eight of an elite competition, asking questions of the talent being developed across the country.
This lack of silverware and embarrassing trend to flop at the final hurdle does not stem from a lack of resources, however.
From back-to-front, the current England side is brimming with talent most nations would be desperate to get their hands on and the story’s no different at the top of the tree, where there is an extensive catalogue of names capable of leading the England line. A debate which is yet to be resolved, however, is the burning question of who exactly is the best option.
Here we analyse the current crop of English forwards available to temporary Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate and consider who is the best English forward out there right now.
Wayne Rooney
Caps: 119
Rating: 8/10
Where better to start than with the current England captain and one of the main men to have led the line since his debut against Australia back in 2003? His remarkable tally of 52 goals for his country hands him the honour of having scored more than any other player in an England shirt.
Rooney oozes experience, having won the England Player of the Year award on four separate occasions, and is the nation’s youngest ever goalscorer.
These incredible feats are what render Rooney a prime candidate for the best English forward in the game currently. When the 31-year-old hits a good run of form, he has the composure and experience to maintain it and is adept at creating and finding space in the final third.
The frontman’s biggest downfall though has been his performances in big competitions for his country, given that of the 52 goals he’s scored for the Three Lions, a mere six have come in European Championship tournaments, with only one having been scored at the World Cup finals.
It’s this failure to peak when needed and grab the team by the scruff of the neck that threatens to cloud Rooney’s ability and tarnish his reputation as one of the best forwards in the game at present.
Daniel Sturridge
Caps: 25
Rating: 7/10
Taking into account Daniel Sturridge’s form this term, he doesn’t come close to ranking amongst the nation’s top marksmen. The Liverpool forward has managed just two goals in 14 appearances this campaign and has been plagued by injury over the last few seasons.
It’s inaugurated a severe drop in confidence since and Sturridge has failed to recapture the form he demonstrated most notably in the 2013/14 season.
For his nation, Sturridge is inexperienced, with just 25 caps and eight goals, two of which have come in competitive competitions. The striker boasts great versatility when compared to his national counterparts, as he is able to play across the entire front line, meaning he’s a key player to have in the squad for big tournaments.
That said, his inability to stave off various hip, hamstring and other muscular injuries have meant he’s not had the game time to prove he can be a consistent performer and therefore he doesn’t rank particularly highly.
Danny Welbeck
Caps: 34
Rating: 7.5/10
From one Daniel to another, Welbeck is equally injury-prone and various niggles and knocks have limited him to just 16 appearances this term and last, in which he’s managed five goals, suggesting perhaps that he’s prolific when selected but, like Sturridge, hasn’t been able to get the game time to develop any momentum or form.
For his age, Welbeck has an impressive record for the Three Lions, scoring 14 goals in his 34 caps, although only one of those came in a competitive tournament – a goal at Euro 2012 in a 3-2 victory over Sweden.
At Manchester United, Welbeck developed well alongside the aforementioned Wayne Rooney but has been hit hard by casualties since his transition to North London and has fallen out of favour with the rise to prominence of other English forwards. That said, he too is a useful inclusion in any squad, especially as a super sub.
Theo Walcott
Caps: 47
Rating: 7.5/10
The second most-capped player on this list, Theo Walcott’s transformation from an up-and-coming, 17-year-old starlet ready to break into the England team to an experienced head has been a rapid one. For his club, he’s made a remarkable 255 appearances in which he’s scored 63 goals and he’s always been a viable and reliable option for Arsene Wenger up-front.
A speedster with the ball at his feet, there are more than enough positives to Theo’s game to warrant an England call-up. He’s notably quick, agile and experienced at the top level of the game and he’s proven that during his best run of form, he’s prolific in the final third.
That said, he’s also prone to dry spells and is not as adept on the flank as many may think. In the past, Walcott has been ruled out of big tournaments for the Three Lions as a result of injury or merely not being at an adequate level, and to date, his only appearance in a competitive tournament came at Euro 2012.
Two years prior to this, Walcott came under heavy criticism from Chris Waddle who announced, "I just don't think he's got a football brain and he's going to have problems. Let's be honest, good defenders would catch him offside every time.” It’s these underlying uncertainties that continue to prevent the Arsenal man from progressing from a good forward to a great one.
Saido Berahino
Caps: 0
Rating: 6/10
He may not have scored a Premier League goal for Stoke or West Brom all season, but Berahino is nonetheless a hot prospect when it comes to young English talent. The winner of England’s U-21 Player of the Year in 2014, the 23-year-old played over 100 games for the Baggies and has a lot of top-flight experience for someone so young; a feat which gives him the edge over some others on this list.
In terms of looking to the future, Berahino is a more-than-adequate option, especially given his ability to show up in games against the bigger clubs, something sorely needed in an England side that suffer from a severe case of stage-fright in big tournaments.
However, Berahino is yet to make a competitive appearance for his country, and still has the possibility of playing for Burundi internationally, the country in which he was originally born.
Berahino has ultimately gone from a revelation to a flop since initially bursting onto the scene back in 2010 and needs far more experience with the national team and a ‘big’ club before he can be considered as one of the best English strikers in the game.
Jamie Vardy
Caps: 13
Rating: 6.5/10
It’s just five years ago that Jamie Vardy was snapped up by Leicester City for £1 million and what’s unfolded since then has defied all the odds. The 30-year-old scored 24 league goals in the Foxes’ sensational 2015/16 title-winning season and won the Premier League Player of the Season award.
This exhibition of unprecedented confidence and proficiency in front of goal earned him a good run in the England team throughout 2016.
Despite being 30-years-old, all of Vardy’s England caps so far have come in the last two years. In his 13 appearances for his nation, Vardy has scored six times and won eight matches, drawing three and losing two. It’s fair to say he’s had a positive influence on the group and he’s got all the makings of a tremendous late-bloomer.
Last year Vardy certainly ranked amongst not only the best English forwards in the country but the best forwards throughout Europe. He was one of the most sought-after strikers across the continent last summer but dedicated himself to Leicester, a decision he may since regret given the poor season both he and the team as a whole have had and as a result, his value and reputation have taken a bit of a hit.
Andy Carroll
Caps: 9
Rating: 6.5/10
The man who fits the old make-up of a typical English forward, Carroll is confident in the air and can act as a target man in the right kind of system. In terms of aerial presence and poaching abilities, Carroll is the best English forward, but he drops down the pecking order when it comes to movement, pace or versatility and thus ranks fairly lowly.
Carroll’s most successful spell throughout his career was with the Magpies between 2006 and 2011, during which time he scored 31 goals in 80 appearances and subsequently earned a move to Liverpool which rendered him the most expensive English player in history at the time.
The now 28-year-old’s form suffered at the Merseyside and he’s since moved to West Ham where he has begun showing glimpses of his former stellar ability.
For England, Carroll has just two goals in his eight appearances and is therefore far too inexperienced to be named the greatest English forward in the game, whilst he is also too limited in his playing style.
Marcus Rashford
Caps: 5
Rating: 7/10
The youngest English forward to score in his first senior game, Marcus Rashford has become perhaps the most recognised name on the list of up-and-coming English talents.
At just 19-years-old, the forward already has 32 appearances to his name with the Red Devils and has repaid the trust placed in him by his club with a return of countless vibrant and energetic performances on the flank or through the centre.
Rashford has got a contagious eagerness to learn and develop as a player and we’ve already witnessed him become a key part of Jose Mourinho’s plans this term. For his nation, he may have made just the five appearances, but he’s got a goal to his name, which came in a friendly encounter with Australia.
The youngster was included in Roy Hodgson’s UEFA Euro 2016 squad. When he came on in England’s group stage tie against Wales, he helped change the complexion of the game, with the Three Lions coming back from a losing position to win 2-1.
Rashford is being tipped by many to become one of the greatest talents in world football so, of course, he must be considered as one of the best English frontmen. We still need to see more of the youngster to assure ourselves of his talent, though.
Callum Wilson
Caps: 0
Rating: 6/10
With no caps for the national team and just one appearance made for England U21s, Wilson certainly isn’t up for national selection any time soon, but that’s not to say he doesn’t have the potential to be considered one of the best English frontmen plying his trade in the Premier League at present.
The 25-year-old was Bournemouth’s top scorer with 20 league goals in their historic promotion to the top flight in the 2014/15 season and looked like an especially bright prospect following his hat-trick against West Ham in the early stages of the following season.
They would be among very few top flight goals that Wilson would score, however, after the rupture of an anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee sidelined him for half a year.
He made his return last April and increased his tally of goals with the Cherries to 31 before picking up the same injury in his other knee last month. Wilson is still relatively young, speedy and capable of playing off a bigger target man, so could yet be an important player for the Three Lions in the future.
Firstly, though, he must focus on getting game time with his club.
Troy Deeney
Caps: 0
Rating: 6.5/10
It took just shy of a decade for Deeney to get his first shot in the big leagues when Watford gained promotion to the Premier League in 2015. The now 28-year-old would captain the Hornets that season and on Boxing Day last year, he scored his 100th goal in all competitions for the London-based side.
Deeney is competent when it comes to finishing and aerial ability, whilst he is also adept from a defensive perspective and, perhaps surprisingly for a forward, is one of the hardest workers in the Watford team. He had the opportunity to play for Jamaica, an offer he twice turned down, as it is rumoured that he desires to play for England one day.
If the Three Lions were to call Deeney up, it would come as a surprise to few, given that he’s been a consistent performer in the nation’s elite league for two seasons now and has been one of the main reasons why Watford have been able to establish themselves as a top-flight club.
Harry Kane
Caps: 11
Rating: 8.5/10
Few players have more contrasting records domestically and internationally than Tottenham’s Harry Kane. The 23-year-old is the top scorer this Premier League campaign so far with 19 league goals and won the Golden Boot last season two with 22 goals, ahead of national counterpart Jamie Vardy.
An indication then that the UEFA Euro 2016 campaign sandwiched between that would too have been emphatic, right?
Unfortunately for Kane, he could not deliver the goods for his nation and in his 11 caps for England so far, he’s scored on five occasions. His poor form in France last summer really stems from a lack of international experience. It was Kane’s first competitive tournament for the Three Lions and he was expected to lead the line with the form he’d exhibited at White Hart Lane all season; hardly a fair expectation.
Now that Kane has one tournament under his belt, he’s more prepared to approach the next. It’s a tussle between him and Aguero for the best striker in the Premier League at present in my view, meaning Kane is more than justified in receiving the honour of the best English forward in the game.
