Gareth Southgate admits England have become the Harry Kane team.
Southgate warned his other forward players have got to start chipping in with goals because the Three Lions have become too reliant on Kane and would be lost without him.
The red-hot striker has scored more than half of World Cup -bound England’s goals in their last six internationals — seven of the last 12 — and they seem in danger of becoming a one-man team.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola recently branded Tottenham “the Harry Kane team”, and Southgate confessed after completing Russia 2018 qualifying with a 1-0 win in Lithuania (guess who scored!) that the national side is going the same way.
As the Spurs star was confirmed on the 30-man Ballon d'Or short-list, the England manager said: “It's fantastic if we have a centre-forward like Harry, but what if we don’t have him for a game? We have to get goals from other areas.
“What’s important is that the likes of Rashford, Alli, and Sterling, Lallana can also provide those goals.
“Rashford is 19, Alli, 20, I had Harry at that age (with Under-21s) and he wasn’t the finished article either. Those guys have the potential to come through as well.
“Sometimes, the others need opportunity. That’s not to say we are going to. I think Vardy is an important player for us as well, and will score goals, and give us a different threat with his pace. We have goalscorers.”
Kane has become England’s biggest weapon and Southgate, a 1990s team-mate of Alan Shearer, insists the 24-year-old is the best finisher he has ever worked or played with.
It is hard to remember when the Three Lions have been so reliant on one player.
But Southgate insisted: “Shearer, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney — in every era we have had somebody.
“But it would be illogical not to play Harry at this time. Which means others aren’t able to fill the No.9 role.
“Were they [to be] given that opportunity? Jamie Vardy has scored in games for us. Marcus Rashford certainly will.”