Thank goodness for Harry Kane. The Bayern Munich star is likely to start England's match in Riga against Latvia on Tuesday night where he will be hoping to add to his superb run of 18 goals from his past 10 matches. A minor injury meant Kane was not involved in England's 3-0 win over Wales on Thursday night with Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins - the only other out-and-out striker in the squad - deputising. But during the match Watkins collided with the post and has subsequently been ruled out of the Latvia fixture through injury. England fans are once again going through who the striker options behind captain Kane and the answer does not appear obvious.

Remarkably, only seven English players you would class as an out-and-out striker have appeared in the Premier League this season - with Chelsea's Liam Delap the only one of the seven under the age of 26. The other six are Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Eddie Nketiah, Dominic Solanke, Watkins, Danny Welbeck and Callum Wilson. England's lack of options in the centre-forward position was even noted by Under-21s manager Lee Carsley, who said on Monday: "We need more centre forwards, we need more orthodox number nines which are capable of scoring goals. We really value that position." "I think it is in fashion to play your centre forwards out wide or to play them withdrawn. I think it is something that we need to be aware of, the poacher and the goalscorer and the player that plays on the shoulder and the focal point is something that I value."

While England's senior team's boss Thomas Tuchel has a selection headache all over the field - due to an abundance of options - who he picks as Kane's deputy for the World Cup is a different problem for a very different reason. With England just a win away from qualifying for the summer's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the race to be Kane's back-up is very much on.

BBC Sport has selected five options who between them have 25 England goals compared to Kane's record 74. Let's begin with Watkins who scored against Wales before he was replaced at half-time. Watkins made his England debut in 2021 and netted six times in 20 appearances, including hitting the winner in England's Euros 2024 semi-final win over the Netherlands. The forward has struggled at club level this term, netting just once in 10 games. But his quality has been on show over the past two campaigns where he has scored 35 goals in 75 league games to help Aston Villa record back-to-back top six finishes.

Why not play Marcus Rashford through the middle? OK, Rashford's best position has been widely debated with the player himself saying he prefers playing out on the left. But if England were looking for a Kane back-up and Rashford could not get into the first XI as a winger, he has all the qualities to be an excellent makeshift centre-forward. So far this season, the Manchester United man, on loan at Barcelona, has three goals in 10 appearances, including a double against Newcastle in the Champions League. The 27-year-old has experience on his side. Rashford has 18 goals for England - the most after Kane in Tuchel's current squad.

Injury means Liam Delap remains a potential England star for the future rather than one for right now. Delap scored 13 goals in 40 appearances for a relegated Ipswich Town side last term, earning him a £30m move to Chelsea. But, three games into this season, the 22-year-old tore his hamstring against Fulham and is likely to be out until December, missing England's next international camp. Delap has yet to make his international debut but did help England to the European Under-19 Championship in 2022. He could be a key player for England at next summer's World Cup, but it seems very unlikely he will be in the next England camp in November.

Tottenham's record signing Solanke has yet to be called up to a Tuchel England squad and is another striker battling an injury. The 28-year-old has managed just 31 minutes of Premier League football this season, and has not featured since the 2-0 victory over Manchester City on 23 August due to persistent ankle issues. Solanke just missed out on a spot at Euro 2024 after scoring 21 goals in 42 games for Bournemouth, which earned him his £55m move to Spurs. He was Spurs' top scorer with 16 goals in 47 appearances last season, winning his third and so far final England cap in a 5-0 win over Ireland in November, 2024.

Could Ivan Toney return to the England fold? The 29-year-old was used as an impact sub during Euro 2024, assisting Kane's extra-time winner in the last 16 and scoring his spot-kick in the shootout in the quarter-finals. Toney's last match for England was a two-minute cameo in a 3-1 defeat by Senegal in June 2025, Tuchel's only defeat as England boss. Toney's not currently playing in one of Europe's traditional 'big five leagues', having left Brentford for Al-Ahli in summer 2024. He scored 30 goals in 44 appearances in his first season in Saudi Arabia and this campaign has already netted eight goals in 10 games in all competitions.

Against Wales Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon moved to a central position in the second half in Watkins' absence. Gordon has three goals in seven games in all competitions for Newcastle this season. In September, Tuchel said he had not spoken to striker Mason Greenwood and the player was "not in our thoughts". The 23-year-old, who has three goals in nine matches for Marseille this term, had started the process of changing his allegiance to Jamaica. Greenwood left Manchester United after charges against him, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped in February 2023.