The battle to be Harry Kane’s deputy and Jarrod Bowen’s big chance

The Sky Sports writers address the big issues around England ahead of their games against Australia and Italy; Gareth Southgate’s time is running out before he makes his squad selection for Euro 2024 and this is one of the last few chances for the players to impress the manager in camp

In a rare opportunity for someone not called Harry Kane, one of the two forwards will get the chance to lead the line for England in Friday night’s friendly with Australia.

Both players have been called up because they have a little bit of Kane about them. Watkins creates more than he scores, while Nketiah’s expert skills are shown by scoring twice from just three shots on target.

While the Arsenal and Aston Villa forwards have their specific strengths, Kane has both of them combined and neither Nketiah or Watkins can realistically oust the Bayern Munich striker from the striker role.

But the simple dilemma of what would happen to England if Kane was to pick up an injury will always hover over Gareth Southgate.

It is why Friday’s friendly with Australia is important – to discover who is the next best option available to the England manager. With Ivan Toney and Callum Wilson also options for Southgate in the New Year, it’s a tricky choice.