England's greatest international? Kane is now a serious contender

Harry Kane will write another chapter in his illustrious England history by equalling Peter Shilton's record tally of 125 caps if he plays a part in the Uefa Nations League meeting with the Czech Republic at Wembley.

England's captain is already his country's record scorer with 89 goals in 124 appearances in a full international career he started by opening his account 79 seconds into his debut.

Since that 4-0 win against Lithuania at Wembley in March 2015, he has been England's mainstay. He is still irreplaceable at 33 and their top scorer in major tournaments with 21 goals in 36 appearances across six of those showpieces, ahead of Gary Lineker's 10 goals in 18 appearances.

He is in the process of building a monument to his goalscoring brilliance at elite level as he currently stands 36 goals ahead of England's second-highest scorer Wayne Rooney, who boasts a record of 53 goals in 120 games.

Kane is unquestionably England men's most important and influential player of the modern era. The only blemish on his magnificent career is the failure – not his alone it must be stressed – to add to the one men's World Cup won in 1966.

Irrespective of that space for silverware on his CV, how highly does Kane rank in the pantheon of greats who have represented the England men's team? Could he even be the greatest? He has made himself a serious contender.

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Moore? Charlton? Rooney? - where does Kane rank?

This argument will instantly cut away from Kane to Bobby Moore, the elegant, unflappable defender who remains the only England captain to lift the World Cup, leading his team to triumph at Wembley in July 1966 as West Germany were beaten 4-2.

Moore was only 25 at the time, and had enjoyed success at club level with West Ham United, winning the FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup before the World Cup. He won 108 caps between May 1962 and November 1973.

And then, of course, the conversation must turn to Sir Bobby Charlton, who survived the Munich Air Disaster with Manchester United in 1958 to become arguably England's most famous footballer of his era.

Charlton was a global beacon of dignity and world-class ability, winning the World Cup then, two years later, captaining Manchester United when they became the first English team to win the European Cup, scoring twice as Benfica were beaten 4-1 at Wembley.

He remains third on England's list of scorers, with 49 goals in 106 games.

Sir Geoff Hurst will always claim a special place with his hat-trick in the World Cup final win, while many others will have their supporters from recent times, including the likes of Wayne Rooney and David Beckham.

Former England midfielder Danny Murphy, said: "Bobby Moore will always be in people's conversation. Sir Bobby Charlton also, because of what they did and the memories they created.

"As you move forward, for me as a kid Gazza [Paul Gascoigne] burst on the scene and became a hero, especially as a creative midfield player myself.

"I think Rooney was arguably the most all-round footballer we have ever had, the most talented I've seen – but no-one can argue with Harry Kane's quality, numbers and longevity. It is the record of an England great."

He added: "There is one thing there is no debate about. Harry Kane is England's greatest goal scorer.

"Is he England's greatest player? This is all about opinions and eras, but his record and longevity alone informs you that he is an England great. He is in that elite group."

'We are guilty of underestimating what is in front of us'

Kane's status as an England great is beyond question. Where he stands in that list of greats will be shaped by eras and opinions, according to former internationals Paul Robinson and Murphy.

Robinson told BBC Sport that the scale of Kane's greatness may only be fully appreciated in years to come.

He said: "Harry Kane is an England great. There is no argument. He will always be part of that conversation now.

"I think we are guilty in the modern era of underestimating what we've got in front of us. We are quite happy to look through rose-tinted spectacles at what we had in the past.

"We will talk about Bobby Moore and Sir Bobby Charlton, but football now is a completely different game. The life of a footballer is completely different and it's almost like they are playing a different game.