Thomas Tuchel has been warned he would be making a huge ‘mistake’ by axing Harry Kane as England captain.
There have been suggestions the striker could lose the armband under the German boss, who could begin his reign as Three Lions manager with a new captain – an idea that has been firmly cast aside by two talkSPORT hosts.
The 31-year-old has scored 11 goals and assisted five in ten games for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga this season – adding to a tally of 36 goals across last season.
That tally in his debut campaign in Germany was the most successful season of his playing career so far, proving he certainly still has plenty to offer at the top level.
Asked by talkSPORT’s England correspondent Faye Carruthers on whether he believes Tuchel – who managed Kane at Bayern last term – will appoint a different skipper, Kane responded: “That’s going to be Thomas’ decision for sure, but ultimately I always feel like I’m picked for England on form and on credit.
“It’s not just because I’m England captain that I’m here, I’ve come in off the back of my best season last season individually, and also this season I’ve started the year really well.
“Maybe if I wasn’t playing as well as I have in the recent past, then that could be an argument. But I feel like I’m at the peak of my game for club, which is ultimately where you get picked from to play for your country.
“So, yeah, that’s obviously going to be Thomas’s decision. But either way, I’ll always be excited to represent my country.”
talkSPORT host and former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino was quick to quash any suggestion that Tuchel would strip Kane of his captaincy.
“He [Tuchel] was the guy that brought Kane to Bayern Munich, so he had huge discussions about bringing one of the best strikers in the world at that time,” he said on Weekend Sports Breakfast.
“He’s done unbelievably well, and who is the outstanding candidate [to replace him]?”
Fellow cost Natalie Sawyer suggested Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice as possible successors as captain, although suggested these would be for the ‘post-Kane era’.
In recent weeks the Bayern Munich striker made headlines by saying England comes before club after nine players withdrew from international duty.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden withdrew from the Three Lions squad, with Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite joining them on Wednesday.
Despite starting the match against Greece on the bench, Kane took the armband off Walker when he was introduced in the 66th minute in Athens in midweek.
The Tottenham legend is also England’s all-time leading scorer with 68 goals in 102 caps since his debut aged 21 in 2015.
Kane previously played under Tuchel for Bayern Munich last season, scoring 44 goals and providing 12 assists in 45 matches in all competitions.
Kane will have a chance to add to his England tally sooner, though, with the final Nations League clash of the year on Sunday.
Carsley’s side face the Republic of Ireland at Wembley Stadium knowing a win will secure promotion back to League A.
