England begin their Euro 2020 campaign against Croatia at Wembley on June 14
Thursday 23 January 2020 10:13, UK
With Tammy Abraham having now joined Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford on the sidelines, Gareth Southgate may have to start looking at other options up front for this summer's European championship - so who else could the England manager call on to lead his attack at Euro 2020?
Abraham suffered an ankle injury in the latter stages of Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League on Tuesday night, with the Chelsea striker now set for a spell in the treatment room.
Abraham's setback could not have come at a worse time for Southgate. The England boss was at Stamford Bridge specifically to run his eye over the Chelsea forward after recent injuries to his first-choice strikers Kane and Rashford, with both players facing extended layoffs with hamstring and back problems respectively.
However, with there now just two friendlies with Italy and Denmark at Wembley in March before Southgate must name his final 23-man squad for the tournament, the England boss does not have much time to look at possible attacking alternatives.
Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)
Age: 19
League games: 16
Mins played: 1271
Goals: 10
Mins per goal: 127
Shots: 31
Shooting accuracy: 70.4%
Shot conversion: 32.3%
The pacy Dortmund forward would be a definite option having already being utilised by Southgate in a front three in his fledgeling international career to date, scoring twice in 11 appearances.
The attraction of playing Sancho in a wide forward position would be the creativity he brings to that role, with the teenager having provided more assists (10) and created more chances (35) in the league this season than any of his rivals here.
Meanwhile, the youngster also has the best shooting accuracy of any of the players here and has been involved in a goal just every 64 minutes for Dortmund in the Bundesliga so far this season, a figure unmatched by the other strikers on this list.
SkyBet odds of being in Southgate's 23-man England squad: 1/12
Raheem Sterling (Man City)
Age: 25
League games: 22
Mins played: 1850
Goals: 11
Mins per goal: 168
Shots: 67
Shooting accuracy: 51.2%
Shot conversion: 16.4%
By his usual high standards, this has been a relatively quiet campaign in front of goal for the City forward, who has scored 11 times so far in City's stuttering title defence.
At the same time, however, Sterling has taken his England tally to an impressive 12 goals in 56 internationals, eight of which came in qualifying for Euro 2020, making him a certain starter up front this summer.
SkyBet odds of being in Southgate's 23-man England squad: 1/33
Danny Ings (Southampton)
Age: 27
League games: 24
Mins played: 1647
Goals: 14
Mins per goal: 118
Shots: 58
Shooting accuracy: 56.5%
Shot conversion: 24.1%
While it would no doubt cause more than a few raised eyebrows were Ings to make only his second England appearance over the coming months - five years on from his debut against Estonia - the 27-year-old is nonetheless in the form of his life after years of injury struggles at Liverpool.
Of those players still able to represent their country, none have managed more than the 14 Premier League goals Ings has scored for Southampton this campaign, while his minutes-per-goal ratio is also unrivalled among England-qualified forwards.
SkyBet odds of being in Southgate's 23-man England squad: 6/4
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
Age: 22
League games: 22
Mins played: 1493
Goals: 10
Mins per goal: 149
Shots: 48
Shooting accuracy: 52.6%
Shot conversion: 20.8%
It would be quite some rise were the Sheffield-born striker to feature for England at this summer's tournament, especially given he has never played for the senior team before.
But given Calvert-Lewin's recent excellent scoring record since Carlo Ancelotti took over at Goodison - the player currently has a personal-best 10 league goals to his name this season - do not rule it out.
The new Everton boss, who knows a thing or two about forwards having worked with some of the best in the game, has no doubt his young charge can do a job for his country.
"Of course he can play for England, no doubt for this," Ancelotti said. "England has fantastic strikers, he has to fight, but I think he has the quality and possibility to be a great striker for England. I don't have to tell Southgate to look at Dominic because he already did this."
SkyBet odds of being in Southgate's 23-man England squad: 7/2
Callum Wilson (Bournemouth)
Age: 27
League games: 23
Mins played: 1899
Goals: 6
Mins per goal: 317
Shots: 31
Shooting accuracy: 50%
Shot conversion: 19.4%
Wilson has struggled for form and fitness this campaign, but the striker was back in the goals again when scoring in Bournemouth's 3-1 win over Brighton at the Vitality on Tuesday, his first in the league since September.
Not only that, but the 27-year-old was also on target on his England debut in a friendly against the US in November 2018, so Southgate knows he has a player with an eye for goal were he to hand him a surprise chance.
SkyBet odds of being in Southgate's 23-man England squad: 8/1
Jamie Vardy (Leicester)
Age: 33
League games: 21
Mins played: 1890
Goals: 17
Mins per goal: 111
Shots: 51
Shooting accuracy: 67.4%
Shot conversion: 33.3%
Following talks with Southgate, the 33-year-old chose to step away from international football following the 2018 World Cup in order to focus on his club career.
Both Vardy and Southgate have previously said he could return if the circumstances were right, but no fresh conversations have been held between the pair ahead of March's two friendlies. Vardy is not planning to reverse his international retirement, despite England's forward options being depleted by injury.
And that is a blow as far as England are concerned given Vardy's red-hot form with Leicester this season. The striker is leading the scoring charts with 17 goals in just 21 games - but he too hobbled off with an injury against West Ham on Wednesday.
SkyBet odds of being in Southgate's 23-man England squad: 5/1
Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Age: 26
League games: 20
Mins played: 1780
Goals: 11
Mins per goal: 162
Shots: 55
Shooting accuracy: 54.6%
Shot conversion: 19.6%
Kane is set to be out till April after rupturing a tendon in his hamstring on New Year's Day, meaning Southgate may be sweating on his captain's fitness right up until the Euros get underway in June.
The Spurs forward is still expected to be fit in time to lead England's line this summer, but any complications in his recovery would leave Southgate with a massive hole to fill up front.
Not only was Kane the leading scorer in qualifying for the tournament with 12 goals - which make up part of his overall total of 31 strikes in only 45 games for his country - but he has also carried on that form for his club this season by netting 11 times in the league for a struggling Spurs side.
SkyBet odds of being in Southgate's 23-man England squad: 1/5
Marcus Rashford (Man Utd)
Age: 22
League games: 22
Mins played: 1881
Goals: 14
Mins per goal: 134
Shots: 74
Shooting accuracy: 57.6%
Shot conversion: 18.9%
Rashford is facing at least six weeks on the sidelines with a double stress fracture in his back sustained in United's recent FA Cup win over Wolves, although he has reassured fans he will be back in action before the end of the season.
However, it is hard to provide an exact timeframe as to when the striker may be back in action, with rest and recuperation - rather than surgery - the best means to treat such a problem.
Either way, Southgate will be loathed to be without a player who has scored 10 goals in 38 internationals for England and is currently enjoying his best-ever goals return for United in the Premier League.
SkyBet odds of being in Southgate's 23-man England squad: 1/8
Tammy Abraham (Chelsea)
Age: 22
League games: 23
Mins played: 1842
Goals: 13
Mins per goal: 142
Shots: 72
Shooting accuracy: 54.2%
Shot conversion: 18.1%
We are still awaiting news on the severity of the ankle injury sustained by Abraham against Arsenal, but both Chelsea and England will be praying it is not serious given his eye-catching form so far this campaign.
The 22-year-old has been involved in 16 top-flights goals for his club, while he also broke his England duck in their 7-0 thrashing of Montenegro in a Euro 2020 qualifier at Wembley in November.
So were the injury gods to conspire against Southgate and leave him without the services of Kane and Rashford, then Abraham would more than likely be who the England boss called on to spearhead his front three this summer.
SkyBet odds of being in Southgate's 23-man England squad: 1/10
* all stats accurate as of January 21
