In May 2012, two strikers lined up together for England Under-19s in a European Championship qualifier against Switzerland. One looked the likelier prospect. Thirteen years on, Harry Kane is preparing for a World Cup semi-final against Argentina, while Will Keane is at a PFA pre-season camp in Leicestershire looking for a new club. Same starting point; vastly different destinations.

The injury that changed everything

Keane, speaking to BBC Sport, is candid about the moment his trajectory shifted. He sustained a serious knee injury near the end of that Switzerland game, and it was 16 months before he played again. In that exact window, Kane was completing loan spells at Norwich and Leicester and breaking into the Tottenham first team.

"That first injury was at a crucial time," Keane told BBC Sport. "I had my foot in the door. If the injury had happened a couple of years later, I might have been an established squad player."

It is the sort of sliding-doors moment that recurs throughout the professional game. One setback at precisely the wrong juncture can redirect an entire career. Keane acknowledges as much without bitterness: "It's timing. Some lads go their whole career and have a few niggles, but nothing derails them too much."

A career defined by resilience

What followed for Keane was, frankly, brutal. He ruptured his groin in Manchester United's FA Cup tie at Shrewsbury in February 2016 — a game that effectively ended his prospects at Old Trafford. That injury put him out of the side at the precise moment a 17-year-old Marcus Rashford was handed his Europa League debut and scored twice. Rashford scored twice more against Arsenal days later. Keane landed in Philadelphia after surgery, switched his phone on, and saw the news.

"At 23, I knew that day it was the end for me at United," he said.

He moved to Hull City, who had just been promoted to the Premier League. Six games in, he ruptured his ACL again and missed the entire season. Hull were relegated. Teammates from that squad — Harry Maguire, Andy Robertson, Sam Clucas — moved on to top-flight clubs. Keane's path continued at a lower level.

He has since played for eight clubs in total, accumulated 335 senior appearances and scored 85 goals. He won the League One title with Wigan in 2022 and was the division's top scorer that season — genuine, hard-won achievements that tended to go unnoticed amid the noise elsewhere.

The PFA camp and what comes next

Now 33 and out of contract, Keane is taking part in the PFA's 12-week pre-season programme — now in its third year — alongside 44 other players in similar situations. The camp includes medical, coaching and administrative support, plus seven or eight competitive matches to give attending clubs something tangible to assess. Training data goes onto an app that clubs can access directly.

"I almost feel like I'm part of a squad, and we're away for pre-season," said Keane. "It's quite competitive. Clubs can contact us directly, so hopefully if you go somewhere, you can go straight in."

He is not panicking. He was out of contract once before, in 2020, when Covid and financial uncertainty led Ipswich to decline a one-year option. He sorted it then; he expects to sort it now.

There is also the matter of international football. Keane, whose father is Irish, made a different international switch to his twin brother Michael — playing youth football for England but seniors for the Republic of Ireland, earning five caps. He has not written off adding to that total.

Kane will face Argentina at 20:00 BST on Wednesday night in a World Cup semi-final. Keane will be at Champneys Springs, hoping his next club is watching his data on an app. Professional football, with its relentless randomness, rarely offers a starker contrast.

Frequently asked

Who is Will Keane and what clubs has he played for?
Will Keane is a 33-year-old striker who came through the Manchester United academy. He has since played for eight clubs across his career, including Hull City, Ipswich Town and Wigan Athletic, where he won the League One Golden Boot in 2022. He has made 335 senior appearances and scored 85 goals to date.
What is the PFA pre-season camp for out-of-contract players?
The PFA runs a 12-week pre-season programme for out-of-contract players, now in its third year. Up to 45 players take part, with coaching, medical and administrative support provided. They play seven or eight games and their training data is uploaded to an app that clubs can access to assess and contact players directly.
Did Will Keane and Harry Kane play together for England?
Yes. Both played for England Under-19s together, including in a European Championship qualifier against Switzerland in May 2012. At that point, Keane was considered the more likely prospect, but a serious knee injury sustained near the end of that game kept him out for 16 months and altered the course of his career.