'No need to look at other options' - Harry Kane assured he will keep England captaincy as Thomas Tuchel hails Bayern Munich striker's character

Speaking to Sky Sports News after the 2026 World Cup qualifying draw, Tuchel shut down any doubts about the importance of England's all-time record scorer in his team. As well as stating how much he admires him as a player and as a leader, the new England boss insisted that "there's no need at the moment to look at other options" when it comes to the captain's armband.

Tuchel said: "There's no need at the moment to look at other options. It's like for Harry for everyone else as well, we totally… I admire him, for his quality, for his leadership, for his character."

He continued: "The players decide in the end if they play or they don't play, it's always like that. I'm happy to have this group of players, including Harry, big personalities and quality. The job now is to find and build the best group that people are excited to watch us, that they feel inspired watching this team."

Tuchel's comments came after a difficult summer for Kane, in which plenty of criticism was levelled at him for his somewhat lethargic and sloppy-looking performances at Euro 2024. Despite this, the Three Lions skipper still scored three goals at the competition and sparked some magic moments in his country's path to the final against Spain. And he's been in electric form throughout 2024-25, hitting the 20-goal mark for Bayern Munich before Christmas.

Kane will be relishing the prospect of working with Tuchel again — he reportedly had a great relationship with him at Bayern Munich last season. When news of the German's appointment broke, England's captain posted on X: "Looking forward to playing with the boss again!"

However, he'll have to wait until the new year to meet up with his team-mates under Tuchel's tutelage for the first time.