Spurs wonderkid was meant to be better than Kane, now he’s in USA’s second tier
While things are rather rosy for those of a Tottenham Hotspur persuasion at present, it may remain rather strange not to have former talisman, Harry Kane leading the line these days, with the England skipper already making his mark at new club, Bayern Munich.
After itching to leave the Lilywhites for Manchester City two years ago, the prolific striker finally got his wish after sealing a £100m move to Bavaria last month, ending a lengthy association with Spurs that began in the youth ranks at N17.
As expected, the 30-year-old is already making a mockery of the Bundesliga having scored eight goals and contributed four assists in just seven games for his new side, notably bagging the first of what could prove to be multiple hat-tricks for the German giants at home to Bochum at the weekend.
In truth, the experienced marksman is picking up where he left off last season after bagging 30 league goals amid what was a dire collective season for the club, having at times held things together on his own during the years of turbulence under the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
Somewhat surprisingly, Ange Postecoglou's side have not yet felt the impact of losing the 89-cap international amid what has been a remarkable, unbeaten start to the new Premier League season, although it remains to be seen if the void that was left by the club's record goalscorer can be filled for the long-term.
With Kane undoubtedly the club's most successful academy graduate – and perhaps even their best-ever player – it is hard to believe that there was once a talent who arguably shined even brighter in the academy setup, in the form of one-time wonderkid, Cameron Lancaster.
Who is Cameron Lancaster?
For all the beauty and spectacle that football can provide, it can also be a particularly punishing and cruel sport, with the margins so slim between those who make it and those who don't at the elite level.
In truth, for every major success story, there is the case of talent who didn't quite make it. For every Marcus Rashford, there's a Ravel Morrison; or for every Harry Kane, there is a Cameron Lancaster.
As noted above, Kane had been the golden boy at Spurs for almost a decade prior to his departure this summer, yet it was his former youth colleague, Lancaster, who originally looked like being the bigger star of the future at Hotspur Way.
The Camden-born marksman – who is the same age as Kane – had regularly trained with the first team during his teenage years, gaining valuable experience working with the likes of Luka Modric and Gareth Bale in the senior set-up.
That rapid rise was then capped during Harry Redknapp's time in charge during the 2011/12 campaign, with the then-youngster having been handed his debut off the bench against Wigan Athletic in the Premier League, something which seemingly caught him off guard:
“It was all bit of a blur. I remember going out after training to get some brand new boots for the game.
“I remember warming up, then Redknapp called me over to say I was going on for the last 15 minutes and all he said was to go and enjoy myself, do a job for the team.”
That first-team bow – which came prior to Kane's top-flight debut in August 2012 – appeared to be the start of a promising career for Lancaster in the capital, with the likes of Tim Sherwood and Les Ferdinand having told the academy gem that he had a "real chance of cracking it at Spurs".
As is so often the way, however, the footballing gods had other ideas…
What went wrong for Cameron Lancaster at Spurs?
Following on from that breakthrough 2011/12 season, the emerging sensation was then handed a new two-year deal by incoming boss Andre Villas-Boas, proving yet another show of faith by the club in his undoubted talents.
On the cusp of potentially earning a regular role for himself in the first-team squad, Lancaster was then cruelly struck down by the first of numerous injuries that would ultimately inhibit his progress, as he has revealed to Planet Football:
“That was the summer AVB came in and I started training with the first-team for pre-season, but it was literally within the first week I got quite a bad injury. I ended up snapping my groin off the bone and that set me back near enough a year. After that it was injury upon injury and I couldn’t get going to kickstart my career."
As the forgotten man went on to add, by the time he had recovered from an ACL blow in 2014 his contract was up at White Hart Lane, with the player deciding to take on a new challenge elsewhere, with just a solitary senior appearance for Tottenham under his belt.
As is the way, it was that following season in which Kane truly announced himself to the wider world after plundering 21 league goals under Mauricio Pochettino, with Lancaster, meanwhile, beginning a journey that has taken him far from the glittering heights of the Premier League.
Where is Cameron Lancaster now?
The 6 foot hitman did initially remain in English football after joining Stevenage following his departure from north London, albeit while ultimately scoring only once in just six appearances for the club, prior to joining non-league side St Albans City halfway through that 2014/15 season.
Since then, aside from a brief spell on the books at MLS outfit, Nashville – for whom he scored six goals in 19 games – the 30-year-old has been plying his trade in America's second tier for Louisville City.
While he may not be making his mark on the Champions League stage, unlike Kane, Lancaster has been rather prolific during his time in the States, with 84 goals in just 171 games in all competitions for his current side to date.
That record indicates that the Englishman has still enjoyed a respectable career since leaving Spurs almost a decade ago, although there may still be a sense of what might have been had injuries not halted his early progress.
Having forced his way into the senior set-up even before Kane, the future looked particularly bright for the one-time Dagenham & Redbridge loanee at the time, yet, alas, it was simply not meant to be for this once lauded wonderkid.