Raheem Sterling has got the potential to be a future England captain, according to Gareth Southgate.
England boss Southgate revealed Sterling has been promoted to the “leadership group” which is designed to be a players’ committee to represent the whole squad.
Sterling took up Ashley Young’s place after he dropped out of the squad with Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson are also involved while Eric Dier and Fabian Delph are also in it but have gone home injured.
Southgate said: “In between November and March, observing his maturity and influence, I felt that would be a good step for him.
"I think when you speak to other young players, he's one of the first they speak about making them feel really comfortable in the environment. That was a really important move for him.
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“We've had three or four players captaining the team, and Raheem is developing lots of the qualities those guys have. He has those qualities.
"It's difficult to talk about a potential captain when the captain, Harry Kane, is in the hotel waiting to go out for dinner, but in terms of his personal qualities, he's shown some outstanding personal qualities.”
Meanwhile, Southgate has hailed "underappreciated" Jordan Henderson's England career as the midfielder prepares to make his 50th appearance for his country.
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"Firstly, only 59 players have achieved it, so it's a relatively small club and a great honour," Southgate, who is part of that number having amassed 57 caps, said when asked about Henderson making it to 50.
"That requires huge commitment to playing for England, first and foremost. And then, on a personal level, Jordan's qualities as a player - which I think have been underappreciated at times - he's such an important player for us and has been for the last couple of managers.
"Everybody values the fact that he has a winning mentality. Good players make other players play well.
"It's not just about your own performance, but the impact and effect you have on others. When you're a leader like he is, that is among his top qualities."
