England captain vs Brazil revealed as Gareth Southgate makes surprise skipper decision

Harry Kane’s ankle injury means Kyle Walker is set to captain England at Wembley tonight against Brazil.

Gareth Southgate revealed the Three Lions skipper will miss tonight’s clash with the five-time World Cup winners. Kane - who has led England since 2018 - picked up the knock during Bayern Munich’s 5-2 win over Darmstadt last weekend.

“Tomorrow, (there’s) no Harry Kane, no Jordan Henderson, no Cole Palmer,” Southgate told reporters on Friday. “I would say Cole and Hendo have a better chance of Belgium than Harry. He would be extremely doubtful for that (game).

“‘It means it’s a brilliant opportunity for other players. We need to see other players ahead of the Euros.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Henderson usually assumes the armband in Kane’s absence but he, too, is sidelined through injury. According to The Sun, Kane will return to Germany after the game and miss Tuesday’s game against Belgium.

Those absences have given Walker a chance to lead his country out for a big Wembley showdown. England last faced Brazil seven years ago and have not lost to the South American giants since a 1-0 defeat in 2009.

After Kane, Walker - alongside Henderson - is the most senior player in the Three Lions squad. The 33-year-old has earned 81 caps since making his international bow in 2010.

Manchester City players voted Walker as their new captain at the start of the campaign following Ilkay Gundogan’s exit. The defender skippered England for the first time in November during the 1-1 draw with North Macedonia.