Gary Lineker names three contenders to succeed Harry Kane as England captain – with one the ‘natural’ pick to lead the Three Lions
- Harry Kane has captained England at the last four major tournaments
- Lineker has suggested possible candidates for who could one day succeed Kane
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Gary Lineker has offered up three contenders who could potentially replace Harry Kane as England captain in the future.
Kane was officially named as the Three Lions skipper ahead of the 2018 World Cup, with then England boss Gareth Southgate choosing the striker over Jordan Henderson.
He led England to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia, before leading the country in three more major tournaments.
This included back-to-back European Championship finals, where England finished an agonizing second place, along with a quarter-final appearance at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
It appears the Bayern Munich striker will retain the captaincy under his former boss Thomas Tuchel, but thoughts are now turning to the 31-year-old’s possible successor.
Speaking about the Rest is football podcastLineker and co-hosts Alan Shearer and Micah Richards gave their thoughts on which England star is best placed to follow Kane.
Harry Kane has captained England for the last four major tournaments
Kane is expected to keep the armband under his former Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel
Gary Lineker has suggested possible candidates for who could ultimately succeed Kane
“Jude Bellingham or Declan Rice, I would go for Bellingham, I think he’s the natural one,” Lineker said.
Ex-England boss Southgate had appointed Bellingham and Rice as part of England’s leadership group ahead of Euro 2024.
The duo joined Kane and vice-captain Kyle Walker in the group at the tournament in Germany.
With Walker now 34, Bellingham and Rice would likely be the leading contenders for the captaincy in the future.
Bellingham is yet to lead England out in a match, but Rice was named captain on his 50th appearance against Belgium in March.
Former England defender Richards added three more names to the mix.
“You think, are you the leader type in Bellingham, where nothing seems to faze him,” Richards said. ‘He has a bit of arrogance.
“If you go for a defender, someone like John Stones who has done it, you go for Pickford, who is a sort of leader at the back, even if he is a bit crazy at times.”
Lineker suggested Jude Bellingham would be the ‘natural choice’ to succeed Kane as captain
Declan Rice captained England in his 50th appearance for the Three Lions in March
Micah Richards suggested Arsenal star Bukayo Saka should be a contender for the armband
‘I would go [Bukayo] Saka, just because of his mental strength and he is also a top player.’
Lineker agreed with Richards’ assessment that Arsenal star Saka would be a contender to be named captain.
The outgoing Match of the Day presenter stressed that Saka is one of the players who will always start for the Three Lions, but suggested Bellingham has the edge.
“I was just going to mention Saka, he’s a possibility,” Lineker said.
‘Resilience, brilliant football, he will always keep playing, even with all the talent England have.
“It’s not a bad shout, but I’d go for Jude, I’d go for Bellingham.”