Reds defender talks up Lions captaincy

Carra backs Stevie for England armband

By Zain Alvi | 10th February 2012

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has tipped club teammate Steven Gerrard to lead England during this summer’s Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

A dramatic sequence of events led to Chelsea skipper John Terry losing the Lions armband last Friday, which was followed by the resignation of manager Fabio Capello, who was upset at not being consulted by the FA over the captaincy row.

Consequently, England are without a captain and a permanent manager just four months away from the Euros, with U-21 boss Stuart Pearce temporarily taking charge of the reins at Wembley.

Speaking to Liverpool’s official website ahead of tomorrow’s massive fixture at Manchester United, Carragher explained that the issue could be resolved effectively if Reds skipper Gerrard is chosen to captain England.

“Steven Gerrard is the stand-out captain, and that’s not a biased verdict,” Carragher asserted with confidence in an interview at LiverpoolFC.tv.

The 34-year old added: “He’s been the captain of Liverpool for probably a decade. He’s captained in Champions League finals, Europe, big Premier League games.

“He’s also captained England in the last World Cup and he’s one of England’s best players. For me, I don’t think there’s a debate. It should be Steven Gerrard without a shadow of a doubt.”

Shifting the focus to club football, it must be noted that the Reds are four points adrift of fourth-place Chelsea, a deficit they can reduce to merely one point if they beat their arch-rivals at Old Trafford in tomorrow afternoon’s early kick-off.