Why we shouldn't be too quick to judge England new boy Harry Kane

After his match-winning hat-trick against Leicester on Saturday, Harry Kane looks certain to play some part for England over the next few days. His age and performances for Tottenham this season, which have led to 19 Barclays Premier League goals – the fourth highest among players in Europe’s major leagues – should ensure that he is given a decent run in international football. Nevertheless, the critics will be out in force the minute his debut ends. Is it fair to judge players after a single international appearance? How have other strikers fared early in their England careers? It certainly has not been the case that a roaring start at international level leads to long-term success. Rickie Lambert, Darius Vassell, Francis Jeffers and David Nugent all scored on their debuts for England but ultimately failed to hold down regular first-team places, with the latter two failing to turn out for the national side a second time. Meanwhile, none of the current crop of England forwards scored in their first four matches wearing the Three Lions. Indeed, of all England strikers with over 20 goals, the most recent man to net on debut was Alan Shearer. Francis Jeffers scored in his first and only appearance for England (Tony Marshall/EMPICS) Kane would do well to take note of the way his fellow strikers in Roy Hodgson’s squad eased their way into international football. Over their first five England matches, Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck averaged 30 and 33 minutes of playing time respectively, while Wayne Rooney was used slightly more and saw 49 minutes of action on average per match. He was brought on as a substitute twice before starting a match, while Welbeck had to wait until his fourth and Sturridge his sixth cap before being named in the starting XI. This suggests that starting Kane over the coming week may be rushing him into things, while the fact that Sturridge, Welbeck and Rooney all made their debuts in friendly matches also implies that delaying Kane’s introduction until the uncompetitive match with Italy on Tuesday may actually benefit the 21-year-old. Kane will ultimately be judged on goals, which makes it important to note how long it took his peers to find the back of the net for England. Sturridge and Welbeck scored in their fifth games, after 151 and 166 minutes of international football respectively, while it took 300 minutes for Rooney to score, in his sixth England match. Kane would happily take a goal or two this week to add further gloss to an already incredible campaign, although the fact is that his long-term success at international level really will not depend on it.

Source: SNAPPA