Harry Kane in line to succeed Wayne Rooney as England captain after Gareth Southgate drops big hint

Changing of the guard? Southgate drops hint that Kane will become England's new captain

Bertrand Langlois/AFP/Getty Images

Richard Parry20 March 2017

Tottenham striker Harry Kane appears in line to succeed Wayne Rooney as England’s next long-term captain after Gareth Southgate heralded his ‘definite leadership qualities’.

Rooney, who also captains Manchester United, faces an uncertain future for club and country and was widely linked with a multi-million pound move to the Chinese Super League before the transfer window shut at the end of February.

Kane worked under Southgate during him time with the England Under 21 setup, and now managing the senior set up, Southgate dropped the biggest hint yet that the Spurs star could become England’s new skipper.

“Harry has definite leadership qualities,” said Southgate. “Harry’s got an opinion. He’s always happy to speak up in front of the group.”

“He’s a very determined, single-minded individual, completely dedicated to improving and is having another outstanding season.

Kane has yet to feature under Southgate for England. The Spurs star is currently sidelined with an ankle ligament injury, and the similar problem sustained at the start of the season also saw him miss matches against Malta, Slovenia, Scotland and Spain.

Southgate added: “It’s his third season of playing at a very high level and getting high numbers of goals. I’ve not been able to pick him yet but it looks good for him, Tottenham and England.”