Middlesbrough: Kim Hellberg unsure of Will Lankshear’s England chances

Lankshear has scored in all but one of his appearances at the Riverside and has scored two goals in four different matches.

Since the international break in September ended, he has been on fire, scoring seven times in five matches, including four in his last two in the victories over Bolton Wanderers and then Charlton Athletic.

The leading English scorer in the Premier League is Morgan Rogers with five, predominantly an attacking midfielder for Chelsea, while the English striker with most goals is Leeds United’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin with four.

Lankshear even has more goals this season than England captain and Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane, who has netted 12 in 14 games for Bayern Munich and the national team.

The Boro forward was part of the England Under-21 side last month, and Hellberg reckons he is already a better player than the one who moved to Teesside in the summer.

“Will is fantastic,” the Swede told BBC Radio Tees. “He does everything every day. You can see the improvements through the season.

“When he arrived, he was unbelievable in the 18-yard box, and then he added on qualities in his defensive game that we worked with and pushed him to do, which he has done brilliantly and I am so happy with him getting a goal [against Charlton] from pressing high. He’s a brilliant lad.”