The article contrasts the very different careers of former England youth team-mates Harry Kane and Will Keane, showing how injuries and timing can reshape a footballer’s future. While Kane is preparing for a World Cup semi-final against Argentina, Keane is attending the PFA’s pre-season camp for out-of-contract players as he looks for a new club. The story matters because it illustrates how fine the margins are in professional sport, and how one setback can alter a player’s path completely.

Keane, now 33, says he appeared the more likely of the two to reach the top in 2012, before a serious knee injury kept him out for 16 months at a crucial stage in his development at Manchester United. During that period, Kane completed loan spells and established himself at Tottenham, while Keane’s progress stalled; later injuries also denied him further opportunities, including one shortly before Marcus Rashford’s breakthrough at United. Keane has since played for eight clubs, making 335 senior appearances and scoring 85 goals, and is now among 45 players in the PFA’s 12-week camp, which offers training, matches and performance data to help unattached players find clubs.