Uncapped £50m Premier League star tipped to be Harry Kane’s England replacement

Liam Delap is the natural successor to Harry Kane in the England Squad. That is the view shared by talkSPORT’s Max Scott who has kept a keen eye on the Nottingham Forest striker since his summer arrival from Chelsea . Delap stole the headlines with his superb double to help Forest see off his former club Manchester City 3-1 . The 23-year-old has netted three goals in nine Premier League matches for Forest, however, his all-round contributions have been widely praised. Delap is yet to break into the England squad owing to boss Thomas Tuchel’s rich attacking options, but his first taste of the Three Lions might not be too far away. He has represented England at youth level and played a key role in the Under-19 side that went on to win the 2022 European Championship England are not currently blessed with quintessential No.9s in the mould of Kane, with Delap belonging to a small quota of long-term options to lead the line. In Kane’s absence, Tuchel may opt for a false 9, as trialled in the past with Jude Bellingham as the furthest forward but Scott has made his case for the ever-improving Delap to take the baton from the Bayern Munich striker. What are Delap’s attributes? “He’s an absolute juggernaut,” Scott said of Delap. “Give him the ball and improve his finishing. Make him more clinical, build up his confidence and he is, if he continues in this vein of form, the most obvious heir to Harry Kane in the England squad. “This isn’t me saying he’s gonna win a Ballon d’Or by any stretch of the imagination. “This isn’t me saying he’s going to come anywhere near as close to Harry Kane but if you look at the landscape of English No.9s, Liam Delap on paper, in terms of his natural raw ability and the moments that we saw against Manchester City with the goals… who else?” Delap was handed his first taste of Premier League football in the 2024/25 campaign after signing for newly promoted Ipswich Town . He made a huge splash at Portman Road, scoring 12 league goals in his only season at the club before Chelsea paid his £30million release fee. He immediately helped the Blues win the revamped FIFA Club World Cup but injuries and lack of game time wreaked havoc on his time at Stamford Bridge. Delap secured a summer switch to the City Ground in a deal worth up to £50m and appears to be finding his feet again under Oliver Glasner . Simon Jordan’s endorsement His two-goal display against Manchester City drew high praise from talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan and was a reminder of the ability he possesses. “Liam Delap is a player,” Jordan said on Monday. “People talked about him and laughed at the observation of one of the voices in the punditry world about Delap replacing Kane. “I think he’s got the ability to do that, he’s got to play at the right club to do it. “He’s scored two fabulous goals.” Delap’s focus remains on helping lift Forest out of a possible relegation battle but the striker is keeping one eye on his international chances. “Of course, it’s something that you look forward to as a little kid,” Delap said of hopes of playing for England. “You always dream to achieve that as the next thing. “But the performances on the pitch do the talking and everything else comes with that. You just have to focus week by week on performing, and if I keep performing like this, then we’ll see.”