Tammy Abraham is having a roller-coaster season at the moment. Eight goals to his name so far and that leaves the 22-year-old striker as the highest-scoring Englishman as it stands. While he was supposed to be the make-shift striker in a difficult period for Chelsea, the youngster has lived up to the task and deserves all the raves and plaudits he’s been getting so far.
However, as a youngster, one must tread carefully and recent comments suggest Tammy Abraham is already being asked of too much. An average of a goal every 84 minutes (Whoscored) is indeed impressive for a man of his stature but to put him under the spotlight for Harry Kane’s England role is somewhat premature in any regard.
In what could be termed as a piece of “expensive” advice, Tammy Abraham has been urged by Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to set his sights on Harry Kane’s striking berth in the senior England side.
The in-form Blues forward was recently selected by Gareth Southgate for the Three Lions Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. He had previously won two caps, but was in a position to commit his allegiance to England by taking part in a competitive fixture.
Gareth Southgate clearly believes that a man with eight club goals to his name this season is ready to play a part for his country. Hasselbaink also shares that opinion, with the former Netherlands international suggesting that Abraham should be looking to oust prolific Tottenham frontman Kane from the starting XI.
“As a young boy when you dream of being a footballer you want to play at the highest level and the highest level is England,” Hasselbaink told Sky Sports.
“He has been called up. He is going to get the chance and he has to compare himself with the best [striker] and that is Kane at the moment.
“He has to try to get Kane’s position. It is not easy but that is going to be the next step. He has been invited for the England national squad. Now, can you make that place yours?
“The only way is to do well for Chelsea, keep on scoring and, when you go with England, show that you can do it on that level as well.”
Opinion
Tammy Abraham has started his Chelsea career brightly but should be wary of unnecessary pressure and distractions at this early stage. Far too many times have we seen English youngsters praised as the next ” big thing” only to see them fall short of expectations in the end.
The likes of Theo Walcott, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain and even Marcus Rashford come to mind when the above context is given a closer look. Rashford started out brightly as well and was easily labelled the next big prospect. The rest is history as he’s shown glimpses and flashes but nothing tangible to live up to the hype he was given in the early stages of his career.
Tammy Abraham should be careful not to suffer the same fate as his name could easily be replaced by the next trending youngster – if he fails to keep up his performances.
The advice to Tammy Abraham to challenge for the top striker role at England is not far fetched but when there’s a Harry Kane in his prime with that role on lockdown, it becomes an incredible task to ask of anyone – talk less of a 22-year-old striker. The England captain has well over 100 goals to his name so to get excited about taking his place after a form that amounts to “eight goals” is actually laughable.
Even the likes of Callum Wilson and Marcus Rashford are still above Tammy Abraham in the pecking order. At this stage, the youngster should be focused on developing his game and being a consistent performer (like Kane has been). The Tottenham man wasn’t just called a world-class striker overnight but worked hard consistently for years to earn that tag and Tammy should be taking a cue from him.
The unnecessary comparison isn’t needed now and Lampard would be wise to advise his youngster to properly do away with such distractions and focus on the all-round development of his game.
