TalkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino believes Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson is England’s "next best" forward after Harry Kane.
Wilson opened his goal scoring account for the new season with a classy flick to seal Newcastle’s 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at St James’ Park on Saturday.
“We talked at length about Callum Wilson yesterday and I said he’s the next best after Kane for me, in terms of England strikers,” Cascarino declared on talkSPORT.
The former Chelsea and Marseille forward added: “That’s a brilliant flick. He’s got across his defender, he’s got the slightest of nicks, but it's deliberate and he knows exactly what he wants to do.
“And ok it’s gone in the top corner, he doesn’t know he can put it in the corner, but he knows if he gets across the body of the defender, he can get a flick and it can go in the top or bottom corner. A little bit by chance but it’s a great goal, that’s Callum Wilson.”
Wilson has scored 21 times in 45 appearances for the Magpies in the Premier League. He has also earned four caps for England and scored on his debut in a 3-0 victory over the United States in November 2018.
The 30-year-old hasn’t featured for the Three Lions since 2019 but ranks strongly up against England’s fellow centre-forwards. Only Kane (0.65 goals per 90) and Tammy Abraham (0.61) have registered more league goals per 90 than Wilson (0.51) since the start of 2020/21.
Therefore, Wilson has averaged more league goals per 90 than Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin (0.5), Leeds United forward Patrick Bamford (0.45) and Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins (0.37).
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