Thomas Tuchel has indicated he is ready to play Jude Bellingham at centre-forward England after a cameo on the front the 2-0 win in the Czech Republic.
Bellingham substituted Harry Kane in Prague, occupying a more advanced than usual position in midfield, offering the potential of an alternative to his captain and record goalscorer in the future.
The Real Madrid star scored seven goals for the Three Lions at the 2026 World Cup and is a regular goal threat for his club, with Tuchel insisting he has the attributes to be a success as a striker.
“I like it when I was nine,” Tuchel said of Bellingham. “Then it can contribute to both sides and overload the sides and it doesn’t affect the balance as much.
“We found him a little bit new in the last game, as a central 10, so he can go on both sides and it’s more of a 4-2-3-1 than a 4-3-3 to have Harry and Jude closer together and give them the chance to overload both sides. We’re working on that.
“He’s a natural goalscorer and he’s hungry to be on the scoreboard. He wants to be there and have the decisive action, so it doesn’t make much difference if he plays nine or ten.”
“You’re not getting another Harry Kane”
Kane, of course, remains the main player in charge of England, with the Bayern Munich star scoring an international record 87 against the Czech Republic, with the striker the favorite for the Ballon d’Or after a sensational 12 months.
However, the 33-year-old won’t last forever, and there are concerns about Kane’s long-term successor up front.
Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney have filled that role at the last two major tournaments, but the Saudi-based duo are now in their thirties and were overlooked for the latest Nations League squad.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin remains among the options, although he too is approaching 30, leaving Liam Delap as England’s only under-27 centre-forward to have scored in the Champions League.
“You’re not going to get another Harry Kane, first of all,” Tuchel said.
“He’s the first to push everybody and that’s his mentality and he became a very, very hard-working forward on top of his finishing skills. He’s a complete package.
“We look for different options and solutions. We finished the game with Jude (Bellingham) up front as a number nine.
“There will be someone else, but it won’t be Harry or a copy of Harry. We’ll find a solution when it comes down to it, but maybe not me. It could be another 10 years.”
