Gary Lineker has named the three candidates to become England captain after Harry Kane.
Kane was named England captain shortly before the 2018 World Cup, since leading the Three Lions to back-to-back European Championship finals.
But Kane’s place in the team has come under an increasing amount of scrutiny in recent years and he largely underwhelmed at Euro 2024 despite finishing the tournament as the joint-top goalscorer.
Ex-England and Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes recently said we were seeing the ‘beginning of the end’ of Kane, but he continues to be prolific for Bayern Munich, scoring 64 goals in 64 appearances since leaving boyhood club Tottenham.
With the likes of Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke waiting in the wings, it is only a matter of time before Kane, 31, begins to face an uphill battle to stay in England contention.
His prospects of leading England into the 2026 World Cup were likely boosted by the appointment of Thomas Tuchel, who he played under at Bayern.
Either way, the FA need to at least start planning for life after Kane and consider their options in terms of the next England captain.
Kyle Walker was appointed vice-captain ahead of last summer’s Euros but the Manchester City star has struggled this season and at 34 is in the twilight of his career.
With that in mind, Lineker has named Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka as the three stand-out candidates for the England captaincy.
Despite his young age of 21, Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham is already seen as one of the biggest leaders in the England squad and has the experience of winning the Champions League last season.
Who should be the next England captain?
Gary Lineker: ‘Jude Bellingham or Declan Rice.’
Micah Richards: ‘I like that question a lot.
‘Do you go with a leader-type like Jude Bellingham because nothing seems to faze him and he’s got that bit of arrogance?
‘Do you go with a defender like John Stones who has done it before for his club? Jordan Pickford is a leader at the back even though he’s a bit bonkers at times.’
Alan Shearer: ‘It has to be someone who is almost guaranteed to start. I wouldn’t argue against Jude Bellingham I don’t think.’
Gary Lineker: ‘I would go with Bellingham, I think he’s the natural one.’
Micah Richards: ‘You know who I would go for? I would go for Bukayo Saka. Because of his mental strength, he’s a top player as well.’
Gary Lineker: ‘I was just about to mention Saka, he’s a possibility.
‘Resilience, brilliant football, he’s always going to play even with all this talent England have got.
‘It’s not a bad shout but I would go for Jude, I would go for Bellingham.’
Gary Lineker, Micah Richards and Alan Shearer were speaking on The Rest is Football podcast.
Saka is just two years older than Bellingham but already has plenty of experience for club and country and captained Arsenal in the absence of injured midfielder Martin Odegaard.
Rice has also been tipped as a future Arsenal and England captain after wearing the armband in his final season at West Ham.
Following his surprisingly poor performances at Euro 2024, there were even calls for Kane to retire from international duty.
Discussing the Three Lions skipper at the time, Lineker said: ‘Part of [looking to] the future in my mind was what England do, what does Harry Kane do? He was not himself in this tournament.
‘He’s in his 30s now. When I was 30, 31, my legs started to go. I retired from international football at 32. At 31 that was happening [legs going] and it’s horrible, it’s horrible.
‘Maybe he was just tired or carrying a little something that affected him and that [his legs going] might not be the case.
‘But I wonder. What is he, coming up to 31 now? That’s exactly the time when I started to feel that way.’
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Premier League legend Shearer, meanwhile, also believes ‘incredible’ and ‘sensational’ Saka is a potential future England captain.
‘It wouldn’t surprise me to see Saka as a future England captain,’ Shearer told Betfair.
‘He’s already captained Arsenal and because of his attitude, ability, and the way everyone looks up to him, that to me shows he has all the attributes to be an England captain.
‘When your team needs you the most to pull something out the bag, Saka can and does do that. I am 100% certain Saka could be a future England captain.’
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