Arsenal midfield has previously worn the armband in Kane’s absence; Tuchel to continue squad rotation in two final prep games
Declan Rice has been appointed England’s vice-captain for this summer’s World Cup. Thomas Tuchel confirmed on Sunday that the Arsenal midfielder will be Harry Kane’s deputy at the tournament.
Rice’s appointment reflects how much his influence has grown within the squad and follows a season in which he played a major part as Arsenal won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years and reached the Champions League final for the first time since 2006.
The 27-year-old has long been considered a potential future England captain and has previously worn the armband in Kane’s absence.
Tuchel revealed he had informed Rice of the decision during the March international window, when the midfielder captained England in a victory over Wales.
“I think I would say Declan is my vice-captain,” Tuchel said. Asked whether Rice was aware of the role, the England manager added: “That is a good question. I was just thinking about it, whether it is an official thing or not.
“But I think we had this talk when Harry was not in camp with us. We started with Ollie and I think Declan was captain. That was where I told him.”
Rice joined England’s training camp in Palm Beach Gardens on Saturday alongside Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze after the quartet were granted additional time off following their defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. All four trained with the squad for the first time on Sunday.
Tuchel is still weighing up his plans for England’s final preparations before the World Cup and has not confirmed whether the returning players will feature in Tuesday’s friendly against Costa Rica in Orlando.
England defeated New Zealand in Tampa on Saturday in the first of two scheduled warm-up matches. Tuchel used different starting line-ups in each half.
The manager added that playing time would be carefully managed as England play against Costa Rica fixture and then conclude their tournament prep with a behind-closed-doors match against Miami United.
“I am not sure about that – let’s see how they come back,” Tuchel said when asked if Rice, Saka, Eze and Madueke would play against Costa Rica. “Three training days and let’s see.
“We have one more match behind closed doors to manage all the minutes because of course, if someone plays 70 minutes against Costa Rica and someone else only plays 20, that is also not enough.”
