John Stones to be named England captain for UEFA Nations League meeting against Greece | OneFootball

Manchester City’s John Stones will lead the senior England men’s national team out at Wembley Stadium as captain on Thursday night, it has been confirmed.

Lee Carsley and his Three Lions squad take on Greece in UEFA Nations League group stage action over the next fortnight, with the first of two contests coming at Wembley Stadium as England hope to maintain their 100 per cent winning record under their new coach.

Carsley’s introduction as interim head coach appears to have been met warmly by those called up to selection, and his latest roster of players has seen all of Kyle Walker, Rico Lewis, John Stones, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish called-up for action.

Whilst all five are likely to feature in some capacity over the next two matches, the biggest moment will no doubt fall in the hands of John Stones, who has been named as England captain for the game against Greece due to the absence of Harry Kane.

As announced during a joint-press conference involving England’s interim head coach and Manchester City’s John Stones, the central defender will lead his country out at Wembley Stadium on Thursday night.

Carsley said, “It was a great conversation that I was able to have with John (Stones) last night.

“To have that responsibility, to ask him to captain the (England) team, it’s a brilliant achievement for John, something that he deserves.

“The amount of caps he’s got, the experience he’s got, the level of professionalism that he shows within the squad, the example that he is to the younger players. It was a great conversation to have.”

Following Lee Carsley’s comments, John Stones admitted, “Definitely everything that I could have dreamed of as a kid. More for my family, I think to be able to see me walk out as England captain is a special moment, and one that I can’t thank Lee (Carsley) enough for.

“As he said, it was a great conversation that we had last night, and one that I was a bit speechless in. But an incredible moment for me, and it’s a bit more normal actually today.

“Everything resumes as normal, the preparation, the training that we’ve done, and our focus is the same. So to be walking out with the armband on is an absolute honour and one that I’ll cherish forever.”

Stones will be hoping that two successive showings for England over the international break without fitness concern will enable him to increase his own opportunities under Pep Guardiola this season.

A late return to the squad following an extended break after the European Championships meant Stones found himself relatively low down the defensive pecking order, and continues to battle for a starting place with the likes of Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji being preferred.

Stones did however score a vital equaliser in Manchester City’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Arsenal in September, striking from close range in the eighth minute of additional time having been brought on by Guardiola as a substitute.