“England need a No9. Not a nine-and-a-half. Not a nine and 10 all rolled into one, but an old-fashioned No9 to prowl the penalty box and snaffle up chances, as limited as they are in international football.”
So began a column in these pages on June 14, 2021 — at exactly the same stage of the last European Championship — about Harry Kane’s best position following a subdued display from the England captain in their opening group game, a 1-0 win over Croatia.
