Declan Rice has been promoted into Gareth Southgate's England leadership group
Declan Rice has been elevated into England’s leadership group, a move that underpins his growing seniority under head coach Gareth Southgate.
One of the key aspects of Southgate’s reign has been the formation of leadership committee - a chosen group of players who effectively take on the responsibilities of a captain during international windows.
The group remains an important facet of Southgate’s tenure, although the mixture of players included in the group from camp to camp has been kept informal during recent get togethers.
Eric Dier, Conor Coady and Raheem Sterling - who aren’t part of the current squad - have all been part of the leadership group at some point over the previous seven years.
However, Harry Kane, Kieran Trippier, Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker and Jordan Henderson are viewed as fixtures in the select band of players Southgate has selected to lead the team - and now Rice has been added to the that unofficial team ahead of Euro 2024.
The midfielder has become a key player on the pitch under Southgate and is now an automatic choice for England, with his remit off the pitch also expanding.
Jude Bellingham’s presence within the most senior England players is also understood to have increased during the calendar year. The Real Madrid star is just 20, but his status within the squad is growing rapidly.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are preparing to open talks with Takehiro Tomiyasu over a new contract just months after considering selling the Japan international.
Tomiyasu has 18 months left on his contract at the Emirates, though there is an option to extend that by a further 12 months.
However, Gunners chiefs want to prolong his deal after the versatile defender’s excellent start to the the season.
The prospect of Tomiyasu
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