Southgate Confirms Kane As Captain Against Scotland

England coach, Gareth Southgate has confirmed that Tottenham striker Harry Kane will captain England against Scotland in Saturday's World Cup Qualifier. Southgate revealed Kane was chuffed to be selected from a number of players who could have taken on the responsibility from regular captain Wayne Rooney and defended his side against suggestions the group lacks leaders.

While Southgate downplayed suggestions Kane was planning on scoring a hat-trick at Hampden Park this weekend, the England boss admitted goalscoring remains the player's priority despite the added duty of being captain.

He said “People said to me there was a lack of leaders in this team and I don't think that's the case. I felt it important to try and give people the opportunity to lead in different ways. Everybody's different and has different leadership styles, has a different impact around the hotel, training ground and in meetings. Harry is one of a number of people I could have given that opportunity to. A couple of the others have done it already and I wanted to give him that boost for tomorrow. It's a great honour for any player and their family. The significance wasn't lost on him that's for sure. A couple of goals would be nice, it’s a good moment for him as a player, he finished the season really well. He's a player we've worked with for a long time, we know his mentality, we know he wants to be one of the best in the world. We've got a team at the moment who aren't where they want to be individually or collectively but they've got great potential. We're starting to tap into that.”