Thomas Tuchel has been told that Keinan Davis could be the perfect replacement option for England – but it could already be too little, too late.
The 28-year-old is playing his way into the World Cup wildcard competition this summer after enjoying the best goalscoring season of his career.
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Only Lautaro Martinez is ahead of him in the race for the Serie A Golden Boot, although leaders Inter Milan are 10 places and 31 points ahead of Udinese in the standings.
Udinese captain Jesper Karlström exclusively told The Pitch Prospect.com: “Firstly, he’s a good guy. He’s a top guy and obviously a first-class player, which has helped us a lot this season.”
“For him it’s just about staying injury-free. I would say he’s too good for this club.”
“Now we’re really happy to have him here and I’m happy for him that he was able to show his quality this year.”
Davis has come into play as the main replacement for Harry Kane, while Mason Greenwood is ruled out of England selection.
His nine goals in Serie A puts him just one behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Danny Welbeck for the most league goals scored by an Englishman in the world’s top 15 leagues this season.
However, Davis’ four goals in 2026 are double those of Calvert-Lewin and Welbeck, despite missing three games due to injury.
“This is definitely his best season since playing for Udinese,” club manager Kosta Runjaić told The Pitch Prospect.com.
“In the first season he had problems, and even in the second season he had some injuries so he couldn’t get into the rhythm. Now, this season, he plays a very important role within the team, scoring goals, but not only that: he works hard for the team, he can keep the ball, a very talented player. And a player who makes a difference.”
“I’m very pleased with his development and his progress. I don’t want to compare him with others.”
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“I think the most important thing is that he can play all the other games, continue his development and his work process and continue to score.”
“And then for me he is certainly still a very young player, a very young striker, and we will see what the future brings.”
“He is a very modern striker, he has everything. He has speed, technical ability, good awareness on the pitch and he is a good finisher.”
“So he just needs games and he needs to play to find the rhythm to really become physically strong.”
Davis himself attributes his new form to both his mental development and the physical side of the game.
At Aston Villa, John Terry said: “He was a nightmare to play against in training,” while Jack Grealish added that he was “absolutely unplayable.”
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But when asked by The Pitch Prospect whether that praise was received at the time, Davis replied: “No, not really.”
“To be honest, I’m thinking about it today because I was just thinking about the game yesterday [3-0 win over Fiorentina] in terms of how much I have developed.
“I wasn’t mentally developed at Aston Villa at all. That’s not a regret, but it’s just like I had to go through something like that.”
“If they talk about it in training, I was really good in training. I didn’t really get a lot of opportunities to play.”
“But even if I had played, I don’t think I would have done too well because I was just in my head thinking about doing something wrong or not being who I really was.”
“But I’m grateful for that because I’ve just developed along the way, the credits I’ve had and being here now, if I had had that mentality while I was at Aston Villa it would have been a lot better. But I’m glad it’s here now. That’s why I’m grateful for this journey.”
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As for what particularly helped him develop mentally during this trip, Davis added to The Pitch Prospect: “I would just say experience.”
“When you’re at Aston Villa, maybe I’ve always been the third-choice striker, so I’m basically just training and just taking whatever I see, but not really having the responsibility to help the team.”
“Then when I left [Nottingham] Forest, I was given the responsibility to play and then I understood what it means that you are actually the striker, you are supposed to help the team score goals and the team relies on you. So that changes a lot of things too.
“Then you just come into your own, you start having no ego, but it’s like, cool, this is my job and this is what I have to do.”
“Of course Watford weren’t the best but it was still the same.”
When I come here I am far away from England, away from home and I am alone with my family and my daughter.
“But when it comes to my reputation here, I’m on my own. Nobody knows who I am. They don’t really care what I did in England.”
“So I just want to show them on the pitch and then build my reputation that way.”
“I’m just maturing, developing my eye for the field and that just makes you more confident and feels more comfortable.”
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Davis rejected interest from EFL clubs in succeeding Everton striker Beto as Udinese’s new number nine.
His only goal in his first season in Italy was the winner at Frosinone that ensured Udinese were not relegated from Serie A.
22 months later, the form of the three-time England U20 international should see him called up to the senior team for the first time.
Davis admitted earlier this year that he can already see himself playing for Jamaica and is “in the process of sorting out a passport.”
He was named in the Reggae Boyz’ 60-man preliminary squad for their World Cup playoffs against New Caledonia later that month.
Davis could then find himself in the showpiece against England, but as things stand he remains available for both appearances.
And European football expert Andy Brassell believes his profile would actually make him ideal for Tuchel as Kane’s replacement.
“If you’re looking for the kind of person to support Harry Kane, it has to be someone who isn’t a superstar. I mean that with all due respect to him.”
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“Honestly, I think one of the special things about being on a tournament squad is getting your head around it and knowing that you’re not going to play unless something bad goes wrong, but that you can play and step in if necessary.”
“If you look at other players who have shorthanded Kane before, be it Nicolas Jackson currently or previously Ivan Toney.
“I think when you’re someone who feels like you’re a top striker, it’s quite complicated just to get little crumbs off the table. But I think Davies would be humble and relatively suitable for that.”
“I guess the only downside is that there has always been a feeling since Fikayo Tomori hasn’t quite secured a regular place in the England squad.
“Of course we know that Tomori and Thomas Tuchel are currently having a dialogue.
“And perhaps his chances of making it to the World Cup aren’t completely over yet. But English coaches traditionally haven’t paid much attention to Serie A, or if they have, haven’t really valued it.”
“So I would be really interested to know what value Tuchel places on Davies’ achievements so far.”
“But look, if he looks at Tomori, I’m sure he’ll at least know what Davies is doing.”