Bryan Robson: 'Harry Kane should not be England captain'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 02 October 2017

Robson: 'Kane shouldn't be England captain'

Bryan Robson believes that Gary Cahill should be named England captain because he has the organisational skills required and the respect of his teammates.

Bryan Robson has claimed that Chelsea defender Gary Cahill is better suited to the role of England captain than Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.

Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has yet to name a permanent successor to Wayne Rooney, who announced his retirement from international football in August.

Kane has thrown his hat into the ring to take on the armband on a full-time basis, having skippered England a couple of times in June, but Robson believes that Cahill's experience and ability to command from the back should see him given the nod.

"I have never been an advocate of strikers being captain," he told the Daily Mail. "There is a clamour for Harry Kane to lead England and I understand that. He's scoring goals, full of confidence and works his socks off but I wouldn't make him captain. It needs to be a centre-half or midfielder as they are closer to the main action and in a better position to assess the team shape.

"The important basic in football is to stay switched on, it's all about what you do next. When a striker misses a chance there's a moment when his head may go down or he ponders what he should have done. Behind him, the team need to be in position to regain possession and a centre half is best placed to shift people into place.

"That's why, for me, the captain should be Gary Cahill. I had Gary for a three-month spell on loan at Sheffield United when he was 21. Even then he was a good talker and organiser, and he's a quality defender. He's worked alongside one of the best captains in John Terry and has taken over his mantle at Chelsea. He's got experience, 57 caps, and when he talks to younger players he will command their respect."

Jordan Henderson and Joe Hart have also shared captaincy duties in the fixtures since Rooney called time on his England career.