NEXT IN LINE: Calvert-Lewin can grab England's Kane role five years after seeing it slip with Tuchel desperate to find understudy

Dominic Calvert-Lewin enjoying a historic moment at a major tournament with England is in his DNA.

It was the Leeds striker, then at Everton, who scored the winning goal when England won the U20 World Cup back in 2017, seen then as a generational achievement.

We're nearly a decade on and Calvert-Lewin is enjoying something of a second coming as one of England's premier marksmen. The prize for being such is usually to be Harry Kane's understudy, which is not the most appealing of titles, but remains a crucial job if the Three Lions are to be successful.

With Kane now plying his trade fantastically at Bayern Munich, which could result in him winning the Ballon d'Or this year, the title of being the Premier League's top English striker is up for grabs.

It is one that Calvert-Lewin narrowly missed out on last season as his 14 goals for Leeds were pipped by Ollie Watkins in what would be his final Aston Villa season. He ended with 16, but five of those came in his final three games.

Get our comprehensive football coverage, with news, updates, opinions, analysis and everything that matters to you, straight to your inbox.

To get it, it's a quick and easy one-two:

1. Head THIS WAY

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page

Ultimately, Calvert-Lewin's exploits at Elland Road, which included goals against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, weren't enough for a World Cup spot. Thomas Tuchel opted for Watkins and Ivan Toney when the Three Lions headed to North America.

Not one to be bogged down by such frustrations, Calvert-Lewin has started with a bang this term. After five games he is at it again, scoring three times to sit as the English No.9 with the most goals. His shot accuracy (64%) is above anyone else in the league to have scored at least three goals, and his 27% goal conversion rate is better than what Erling Haaland is offering right now.

If he wants to push his case for a role he once held, he's going about it the right way in a Leeds team that appear upwardly mobile.

Since Kane established himself as England's first choice in 2016, he has remained front and centre. What hasn't remained is the men backing him up. During his international career, he's looked over his shoulder to find Jamie Vardy, Calvert-Lewin, Danny Welbeck, Callum Wilson, Watkins and Toney.

Watkins underlined the value of bench impact when he came on to score an 89th-minute winner to down the Netherlands in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 - the latest ever winning strike in the last four of the tournament.

Calvert-Lewin's period as No.2 came at Euro 2020, where it was hard to argue he wasn't the second best English striker. Heading into that tournament he'd scored 16 times, and that season remains his most prolific.

The closest he's come to replicating those numbers was last season, and it feels like his injury-hit four seasons before leaving Goodison Park have made it even harder for him to get back in people's minds, not least that of the England head coach.

This forthcoming international window will see England play four times in 10 days, starting with Spain at Wembley, and Calvert-Lewin is in the mix. The only recognised No.9 beyond Kane.

Calvert-Lewin had a brief window to impress last season, being selected in March for a set of friendlies. He'll no doubt rue a miss in a 1-1 draw with Uruguay at Wembley. The Leeds frontman had a golden opportunity to head home, with his sitter perhaps living in the memory.

Watkins' decision to join Toney in Saudi may open the door for Calvert-Lewin under different managers, but Tuchel has shown the concept of out of sight, out of mind is not one he buys into. The Middle East-based duo will remain contenders going forward.

Goals may well prove the overriding factor, as it should, when selecting strikers. But equally, an acceptance of the role will be key, especially for team harmony and outside noise. The last thing Tuchel needs at a major tournament is to be quizzed on why his back-up striker had a face like thunder when he had to spend a whole game on the bench.

In the past, Tuchel's decision to not give Toney more minutes has become something of a headline. Watkins, not with England, but at Villa was vocal about being angry at missing out on crunch games. Maybe once upon a time Calvert-Lewin would be similar.

“From a young boy I dreamed of playing for my country and coming to a major tournament, and as a young kid you dream of playing, perhaps not sitting on the bench," said the Leeds star previously.

But that was Calvert-Lewin's take five years ago when he was acting as Kane's No.2 at, what was effectively, a home Euros, which saw England fall narrowly short in the final at Wembley. The then Everton man would play twice at the tournament.

Once against Croatia as a 91st-minute sub, and again in the last eight as a 72nd-minute sub. Safe to say neither outing was noteworthy or what he would have wanted.

With hindsight, that experience was a plus. Kane remains England's talismanic figure and the striker who sits closest to him has to accept a bench role and, possibly, limited minutes. There are psychological challenges and a sense of 'what if', but they are all hurdles Calvert-Lewin has negotiated.

He previously said: "You could say I've been his understudy before at the 2021 Euros so I've experienced what its like. You have to be mentally tough and be ready at all times that if you're called upon, that you are ready to go, I was a little bit younger back then and there were difficult moments during that tournament where I felt that maybe I could have been put on, or wanted to play out of pure eagerness and desire to make an impact.

"That didn't happen as much as I would have liked but now, in hindsight, I look back and you have to appreciate what's in front of you. With my experience now, I know the role I'm fighting for. I know what that is and I'm accepting of that."