Why now is the perfect time for England to call up Middlesbrough striker Will Lankshear

If Will Lankshear gets called up to the England squad on Friday, expect to hear a lot of talk about David Nugent. The last second-tier player to be selected for the Three Lions back in 2007, Nugent’s lone cap against Andorra became something of a meme after he rushed on to Jermain Defoe’s goalbound shot to tap in his first and last goal for his country, right on top of the goal line. It was all rather silly. There’s no reason that Lankshear’s England career should be either as brief or as ridiculous.

The Middlesbrough striker has been in fine form in the Championship, scoring 13 goals in 13 games including seven in five since the last international break. Reports suggest that England are sending a senior scout to watch him in action on Wednesday, and a first call-up appears to be a very real prospect. It’s also exactly the right time to give him a chance.

Why Middlesbrough’s Will Lankshear is in the frame for an England cap

At this stage, there’s no meaningful way to know how well Lankshear’s form will translate to the highest level of the game. The 21-year-old made just six appearances for Tottenham Hotspur, scoring once, before he was sold to Middlesbrough over the summer, and his recent exploits weren’t necessarily expected.

Lankshear earned his first call-up to the Under-21s during the last international break, scoring on debut against Kazakhstan but also putting in a rare poor performance against Slovakia, when he missed two very good chances in a 2-2 draw. He hasn’t served a long apprenticeship in the age group sides to provide evidence of his chances of success at senior level.

Perhaps his current form will be a flash in the pan. Maybe Lankshear will indeed be the next Nugent. But there is a reason that Middlesbrough paid an initial transfer fee of £10m – as part of a deal which could ultimately be worth as much as £20m with add-ons – and this is the perfect time to take a closer look at him in the context of an international training group.

England only need a point from their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Spain to qualify for next year’s finals, and could well go through even if they lose both games thanks to their enormous goal difference advantage. Tuchel will probably never face two less pressurised matches as long as he coaches the national side. In short, there is little cost in taking a punt on Lankshear, or indeed any other talented young player who is starting to build a case for caps. The November internationals are as close to being a free hit as any England team will ever get.

Lankshear, for his part, doesn’t yet have all that impressive of an all-round game. He isn’t a particularly technical player and fails the vast majority of the time when he tries to take a defender on, even in the second tier. His passing and link-up play is average. It may well be that he never develops into a player with a broad skill set - but he looks like a natural goalscorer.

His 13 Championship goals have come from just 10.28xG, and he currently hits the back of the net with half of his shots on target. He’s scored six with his right foot, four with his left, and three with his head. He clearly knows how to find half a yard of space and then finish. That’s been enough for quite a few high-level strikers in the past. Why not Lankshear one day?

Calling Lankshear up makes sense for England – but it isn’t guaranteed

Tuchel, for his part, has previously stated that he would “never rule out” players in the second tier for selection, although he wasn’t talking about Lankshear but responding the prospect of Manchester City being relegated as a result of breaking Premier League financial rules.

There is no truly tangible reason to believe that Tuchel actually will call Lankshear up, just speculation and a few hints that he’s on the England manager’s radar. Sending a scout to watch him against Wrexham on Wednesday only proves that he’s somewhere in the reckoning – but given that he’s already in the Under-21 set-up, that isn’t exactly fresh information.

Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg told reporters that he had “no clue” when asked about whether Lankshear might get a senior call-up, and it may well be that the youngster has to wait a little longer. This may be a lot of song and dance about nothing. Maybe.

In any case, if Lankshear does get called up, it wouldn’t necessarily mean a cap. Tuchel has been proactive about bringing younger players into his teams to take a look at them before giving them playing time – for instance, when he took both Rio Ngumoha and Alex Scott to the United States to train with the World Cup squad before handing them debuts in the autumn. Lankshear wouldn’t be coming along with expectations of challenging Harry Kane for his place.

There’s also the question of succession planning. All of the other strikers in the conversation for caps are hardly any younger. Dominic Solanke, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney will all be past 30 by the time the European Championships come around. Lankshear is one of very few younger strikers doing anything to suggest that they could have a role to play once Kane retires, although that may yet be many years away.

Calling Lankshear up might constitute a surprise, but it’s a perfectly logical move. It would offer Tuchel a glimpse at a talented young forward in a low-pressure environment. If he became another Nugent or didn’t even do enough in training to get on the pitch, then it’s very unlikely to have come at a cost, and it would provide potentially valuable information ahead of qualifying for Euro 2028.

Maybe Lankshear will become a fully fledged star in the future. Maybe this is as good as it will get over the course of his career. But giving him the chance to prove himself makes sense – and if not now, then when?