England captain Harry Kane has sought to reassure fans about the future of the national team’s striker position, despite a perceived shortage of emerging centre-forwards behind him. The Bayern Munich forward, who is England’s all-time leading goal scorer with 85 goals in 121 appearances, emphasized that he plans to continue playing at a high level for several more years.

Speaking about the lack of clear successors in the No. 9 role, the 33-year-old Kane said he does not believe there is cause for concern. “Hopefully I’m playing for a long time still,” he said, adding that new talent often emerges from unexpected places. Kane recalled his own early career, noting that few would have predicted his rise when he was 18 or 19 years old. “You have to give people a chance,” he said, crediting former Tottenham Hotspur coaches Tim Sherwood and Mauricio Pochettino for providing him with opportunities that helped shape his career.

Kane also offered insight into why the current generation of England forwards may not include classic centre-forwards in the mould of earlier legends. He suggested that many young players have been inspired by more dynamic wingers and creative No. 10s like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar, rather than traditional strikers such as Alan Shearer, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Teddy Sheringham, Robbie Fowler, and Darren Bent.

In addition to discussing England’s striker prospects, Kane addressed his club future, indicating that a decision on his contract with Bayern Munich could be reached soon. His current deal with the German club is set to expire at the end of the season. “I think over the next month or so there should be some sort of decision and I think it’ll be a positive one,” Kane said, hinting at a possible new agreement to remain with Bayern.

Kane’s comments reflect a combination of confidence in his own longevity and cautious optimism about the pipeline of attacking talent for England, as the national team looks ahead to upcoming international competitions.