Arsenal legend David Seaman has put a shock Tottenham Hotspur midfielder forward as a potential replacement for Wayne Rooney as England captain.
England interim manager Gareth Southgate during training
Debate is currently raging over who would replace Manchester United forward Rooney as the next England skipper as Gareth Southgate prepares his side to face Scotland and Spain over the next week.
Rooney’s future with both club and country looks uncertain and many pundits have this week made a case for the likes of Spurs striker Harry Kane, Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson and goalkeeper Joe Hart tipped to take over.
Arsenal legend David Seaman
But Gunners legend Seaman, who played 405 times for Arsenal and won 75 England caps, suggested a name from left field when he threw Kane’s Tottenham teammate Dele Alli into the reckoning in an interview on talkSPORT.
“It’s difficult because obviously Joe has got a lot of experience in there but you very rarely have an England captain as a goalkeeper,” Seaman told Alan Brazil’s Sports Breakfast.
England and Tottenham star Dele Alli
“You look at some of the young players and I think Harry’s got a great chance, Dele Alli has, (Eric) Dier might have as well.
“Wayne’s not finished yet so let’s leave it with him for now and if he gets left out a few more times then obviously it’s going to be changing and I would imagine Henderson would be in with a great shout as well.”
England’s Dele Alli
While nobody doubts Alli’s quality, it is another thing entirely to suggest he is ready to captain his country.
If anything Alli has shown a questionable temperament at club level and was even warned over his on the pitch outbursts by Roy Hodgson ahead of Euro 2016, as reported by The Sun at the time.
The last thing England should be doing is saddling the player seen by many as Steven Gerrard’s natural successor with any extra pressure or taking that edge off his game.
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