Jordan Henderson will become captain of both club and country this week after he was given the armband by interim England coach Gareth Southgate.
Henderson has skippered Liverpool since last season but was overlooked for the accolade during Sam Allardyce’s short-lived spell with the national side.
Wayne Rooney retained the captaincy after the former Sunderland manager resigned in disgrace but will miss tonight’s World Cup qualifier with Slovenia.
And Southgate believes that the Reds midfielder’s ability to succeed Steven Gerrard in the role at Anfield made him an outstanding candidate.
He said: “I’ve been very impressed with him.
“What stood out for me was that he’s captained a football club where he’s had to take over from one of the most iconic figures in English football.
“That’s been a real challenge for him and I think he’s matured from that.
“He’s shown great leadership skills with his club and he’s used to being the captain which is also important I think.
“And within this group of players he’s got a voice and an opinion with very clear ideas over what he thinks we need to work on and a good tactical understanding.
“It was not an easy decision because there are other senior players in that dressing room.
“But because he’s captaining a big football club he’s used to that responsibility and it’s the right decision for me.”