England are heading in a great direction with captain Harry Kane, says Rice

By Tom Avery

Declan Rice believes England are heading in a “great direction” with “top guy” Harry Kane as the captain.

Ever since Rice switched his allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to England and made his Three Lions debut three years ago, the midfielder has regularly played alongside Tottenham Hotspur’s talisman Kane.

Although the West Ham midfielder said he “feels loved” after Gareth Southgate labelled him a ‘future England captain’, the 23-year-old is under no illusions that Kane is the man to lead this talented crop of English stars.

Speaking about being a future England captain and his thoughts on Kane, Rice said: “It’s special to read that, you feel loved and it’s a lovely thing to hear.

“But there’s always that element that it’s not happened yet, we have a great captain in Harry, he’s a top guy you can speak to and trust.

“We’re heading in a great direction with him and to even be considered in that conversation is great to hear.

“Maybe one day that can happen, but at the moment Harry is doing a great job for us.”

Declan Rice hoping to go one better in Qatar

After reaching the World Cup semi-finals, Nations League last four and European Championship final over the last four years, England are well-equipped to conjure up a strong challenge in Qatar come the winter.

Following the agonising penalty shootout defeat to Italy last summer, Rice believes the current crop are ready to go one step further in the Middle East.

Rice said: “We want to go one more now and have that cutting edge and mentality to go and finish off a top tournament.

“If you ask any player the World Cup is the one. Especially when you see in the summer how the country reacted to getting to the final and Luke Shaw’s goal.

“If that was a World Cup it’d be remembered forever and it would be really special.”

Given his leadership qualities, temperament and inspiring presence in the heart of England’s midfield, Declan Rice is likely to be a leading candidate to take over as the Three Lions’ captain whenever 28-year-old Harry Kane is no longer part of the squad.