Leicester City’s number nine shirt will bear Jamie Vardy’s name for the final time this weekend, and the search for his successor should already be under way.
Beyond ensuring they have the right manager in place, the biggest task City face this summer is finding a new striker who can deliver goals.
With his legacy, with the trophies he’s won, and with the place he holds in the club’s folklore and in fans’ hearts, Vardy is irreplaceable. No player should be expected to fill his boots.
However, City do need to bring in a player who can at least find the net regularly. Because it does not feel like there are any internal successors. Or at least not yet.
It does not seem that Patson Daka, for all his effort, will be able to deliver the consistency and level of finishing quality that City need up front. He may leave this summer too.
Jordan Ayew may stay, and he could play at the top of the pitch, but he would be a target man to build off, not a goal-getter.
But what about Jake Evans? If there’s an heir to Vardy’s throne inside the club, the 16-year-old feels the most worthy of such a grand title.
But it would also feel unfair to put that weight on the shoulders of someone so young. Certainly, Evans is not yet in a position where the onus of being the club’s leading goalscorer should be placed on him.
But in the future? Maybe. The signs are promising. Since Premier League 2 was established in 2016 for under-21s sides, no 16-year-old at any club has scored as many goals as Evans has this season, with 11 in 13 starts.
He’s not even been a striker for much of the season. Instead, he’s spent most of the campaign cutting in from the right wing onto his favoured left foot.
That brings about an interesting dilemma. Going into next season, City look well-stocked for wingers. Abdul Fatawu will be fit again, Stephy Mavididi and Kasey McAteer are expected to stay, Will Alves is returning to the club, and Jeremy Monga may remain too.
Out wide, the competition is high, and so the chances of Evans getting game-time perhaps suffer.
But up front, there could be nobody else until signings are made. It looks like there will be more opportunities for Evans there.
It could be argued then that Evans should be trained up as a striker, helping him to hone the nuances of the position, because that’s what City truly need.
But for manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, that’s not what should be done. It’s too early to pigeonhole Evans. He needs to be given the freedom to settle into his favoured position, and that may yet take five years.
Van Nistelrooy said: “When you’re 16 years of age and you have the possibility to play in different positions, I think you don’t have to make a decision now over whether he’s going to be a winger or a striker. We’ll see where the development goes.
“In the 10, as a nine, both wings, it’s a great addition if you have a player who can play in various positions. He’s 16, he can learn a lot and he can grow.
“I was 20 or 21 when I was converted from a 10 into a nine. So I wouldn’t be fixed on this. I would leave the options open, develop him, let him play in different positions and in the end he will settle where his best position would be.”
It’s a sensible point. City should not want to jeopardise the potential of a very talented teenager by shoehorning him into a position if it’s not a perfect fit.
Evans has played twice for the senior side so far, coming on as a winger against Brighton and Southampton. The announcement that Vardy won’t play at Bournemouth on the final day means Evans may get a chance there to play a few minutes as a striker.
And it could be the start of his path to becoming the club’s first-choice forward. But, to get the best out of him and to help him achieve his potential, he needs to be given the freedom to veer from that path and go where he feels most comfortable.
Should Evans and/or Monga start at Bournemouth on the last day? Click HERE to have your say.
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