Most See: Kane to captain England against Slovenia
Harry Kane will captain
England against Slovenia, but Gareth Southgate is yet to choose a permanent
skipper.
Southgate confirmed Kane
will lead the side out on Thursday night but he stopped short of naming the
Tottenham striker as his permanent captain.
The manager has been
reluctant to appoint a permanent captain since succeeding Sam Allardyce last
year and has elected to name his skipper on a game-by-game basis
Jordan Henderson led the
national side to wins over Slovakia and Malta earlier this year, while Kane
took charge of the role against France and Scotland.
Southgate is yet to
decide if he will appoint a permanent captain ahead of the World Cup in Russia
next summer, but he believes Kane is the right man to lead England against
Slovenia at Wembley.
"He is captain for
tomorrow, which he knew a month ago," said Southgate. "His leadership
qualities are invaluable to us as a team and he is in a good moment in terms of
his form.
"I enjoy working
with him and I have known him for a long time and he is improving and maturing
all the time."
When asked who would
take on the captaincy for the long term, Southgate replied: "I haven't
decided yet.
"The important
thing for me was when we looked at the group of players at the start, we saw
potential leaders but lads who hadn't had experience of leading and how do we
allow for that to happen, and how do we give them a feel of it, and I think
that's worked well over the last few months.
"All of those
experiences will stand them in good stead. Different situations, different
opportunities to be in front of people, sharing a responsibility of team. I
think that's key."
Kane has enjoyed a
remarkable start to the season with Tottenham after netting 11 goals in all
competitions for his club side.
The 24-year-old is proud
to have been handed the captain's armband but also expects others to experience
the role before the start of the World Cup.
"It makes me very
proud, growing up as a kid you dream of playing of your country and being
captain as well," said Kane.
"There are plenty
of leaders in this team and other guys are going to have a go to see how it
feels."
Former England boss Roy
Hodgson recently raised his concerns that the England captaincy could hinder
Kane. However, the Tottenham forward insists nothing will change when he leads
the team out at Wembley.
"I don't think
having an armband on your arm makes a difference to how you play," said
Kane.
"I will go out
there to try and win and score goals. There are plenty of players on the pitch
who will help each other out when the going gets tough as well."
England can secure their
place in Russia if they avoid defeat against Slovenia at Wembley on Thursday
night. Southgate's squad then travel to face Lithuania in their final match of
qualifying on October 8.
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