England without Kane: Assessing the options | Euro 2020 Watch

#4 The returning veteran – Jamie Vardy

Could Southgate tempt Jamie Vardy out of international retirement?

Despite the tremendous form this season of Abraham, Rashford and Ings, none of the three currently stand as the top English goalscorer in the Premier League. Neither does that spot belong to Harry Kane – who was actually behind all three prior to his injury. Instead, Leicester’s Jamie Vardy has outscored all of them, with a tremendous 17 goals putting him in pole position in the race for the Golden Boot.

So surely it makes sense for Southgate to simply deploy the Foxes man for the Three Lions? Well, there’s a small issue with that – the fact that Vardy chose to retire from international football following the conclusion of the 2018 World Cup.

At the time, the move appeared to make sense; despite only breaking onto the international scene in 2015, Vardy was 32 years old and like many other senior players, felt stepping away from England duty would help to prolong his club career. Given the Leicester striker had never been the first choice for his country, nobody really begrudged his decision.

That appears to have changed now, however, with the advent of Kane’s injury and Vardy being in his best form since his legendary 2015-16 season. Vardy did state that he no longer wished to be considered for England selection “unless there was an injury crisis” – so does Kane’s absence class as such, and should Southgate beg the Leicester man to return in time for the Euros?

Perhaps – but there are a number of other issues to take into account when it comes to Vardy. Firstly, it must be remembered that while his Leicester form has been phenomenal this season, the Foxes’ whole system is largely designed around him as their key player. The striker plays primarily as a lone wolf upfront at the King Power Stadium, something that wouldn’t happen for England.

To add to that, Southgate also prefers his Three Lions side to play out from the back, setting up their attacks from deeper areas than Leicester’s swifter, more direct approach. That’s primarily why Vardy could never fully establish himself ahead of Kane prior to his retirement – and it’s largely why, despite his stunning form, it’d probably be better for Southgate to leave the Foxes striker retired, and focus on his younger talent.

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