England manager Gareth Southgate has confirmed Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane will be captaining the Three Lions at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
It’s confirmed. @HKane will be our captain for the @FIFAWorldCup.
We’re live with the man himself and @GarethSouthgate right now: https://t.co/w1Bq1YL2Ns
— England (@England) May 22, 2018
Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson was among the contenders to wear the captain’s armband for England at the World Cup, but the bookie’s favourite was always Kane.
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The 24-year-old Kane, who burst on to the scene in the 2014-15 season for Spurs, made his Three Lions debut in 2015 and hasn’t looked back ever since.
In 23 games, he has 12 goals and many felt it was always a matter of time before he was named as Wayne Rooney’s successors on a permanent basis.
Kane won the Premier League Golden Boot for two seasons in a row before Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah pipped him to the accolade in the 2017-18 season.
Still, it was a productive campaign for the 6’2 forward as he scored a career-best of 30 goals in the Premier League alone as Spurs qualified for the Champions League by finishing third.
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There is a strong Spurs flavour to the current England squad, with Eric Dier, Kieran Trippier and Dele Alli the other Lilywhites representatives.
Southgate has been building a youthful Three Lions squad around Kane, not entirely dissimilar from the way Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has been doing at the club level.
Whether England employ a 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 or a 3-4-3 system at the World Cup, Kane is certain to spearhead the attack and Southgate will be hopeful the striker is not burdened by responsibility in Russia.
Southgate’s men have been draw in Group G, along with Belgium, Tunisia and Panama.
They open their campaign on June 18, when they take on Tunisia at the Volgograd Arena.