Tony Adams believes Harry Kane should be stripped of England captaincy and names candidate to replace Tottenham striker as skipper
Harry Kane missed a penalty as England were knocked out by France from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Arsenal legend Tony Adams has now opined that Declan Rice should replace the 29-year-old Tottenham Hotspur striker as the Three Lions' captain.
Adams' reasoning is that Kane is already 29 and might not be able to last the full 90 minutes in the upcoming major tournaments for the Three Lions. Hence, making someone else the captain will make it easier for the coach to substitute Kane.
Here's what Adams wrote in his column for The Sun (via BALLS.ie):
"We’ve got good players but I stand by changing the captain. Harry Kane is the No 9 and did not shirk responsibility for missing that penalty. But we’ve got to think about what we do now with the captaincy. That’s more of an issue than the coach and, as I said before, I believe Declan Rice should have the job."
You won’t meet a more decent honest footballer or person than @HKane - or a better leader of the England team. Absolutely heart-breaking for him. https://t.co/vgXLRoLrHC
Adams added:
"Is Kane going to be the shining star at the next two tournaments? When are we going to get to the point where we take him off and change it? It’s hard to do when he’s captain. Southgate and Kane come as a pair, though, and there’s such a strong bond there."
Adams' reasoning might appear to be a bit bizarre. Harry Kane is only 29 and will be 31 when the top European teams meet for the 2024 EURO in Germany. He is currently England's all-time top scorer. And despite his penalty miss against France, the Tottenham Hotspur superstar is certainly his country's finest striker at the moment.
Kane had a decent campaign in Qatar despite failing to take his side all the way. He scored two goals and made three assists in five appearances.
Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris texted England captain Harry Kane after missed penalty
England captain Harry Kane scored one penalty and missed another against his Tottenham Hotspur teammate Hugo Lloris in the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final. Kane's missed penalty turned out to be decisive as England lost 2-1 to crash out of the competition.
Lloris has now revealed that he texted Kane after the game. The France captain said (via Asianet):
“We had a text after the game. It was not easy to find the words straight after and I think he needed some rest, It is a difficult time obviously for the English national team and for Harry but I think he can be proud of what he has done in this World Cup.
"Top players have missed important penalties in their careers, like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe. I have no doubt Harry will keep his chin up and he will help Tottenham and the national team to shine.”
Absolutely gutted. We’ve given it everything and it’s come down to a small detail which I take responsibility for. There’s no hiding from it, it hurts and it’ll take some time to get over it but that’s part of sport. https://t.co/lw5Esl4fnA
France will lock horns with Morocco in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2022 on Wednesday, December 14.