ENGLAND CONTENDERS
England captain Steven Gerrard announced his retirement from international football on Monday.
Here, Press Association Sport's Paul Hirst looks at who could succeed the Liverpool midfielder as skipper of the national side.
:: WAYNE ROONEY
Rooney is the overwhelming favourite to take the armband. The Manchester United striker has played 95 times for England, scoring 40 goals in the process. He leads by example on the pitch with his tireless work-rate and commitment. The 28-year-old has captained England twice before and he would jump at the chance to be given the armband on a permanent basis. Rooney has boosted his chances by improving his disciplinary record in recent years. The striker is a much more mature person than the one that stamped on Ricardo Carvalho at the 2006 World Cup and kicked out at Montenegro's Miodrag Dzudovic five years later. Rooney is a well-liked and respected figure among his peers too.
:: JOE HART
Should England manager Roy Hodgson decide against giving Rooney the armband, Hart seems the obvious alternative. Another player who is well-respected by his colleagues, Hart has amassed 43 caps and has been England's undisputed number one since the start of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. Hart has a mature, authoritative nature about him even though he turned 27 just two months ago. He also showed character by earning his place back in the Manchester City team after being dropped by Manuel Pellegrini last autumn. Hodgson stuck by Hart during his bad patch and clearly rates the goalkeeper highly.
:: GARY CAHILL
An outsider for the post given that he has only played 27 times for his country. Cahill would be a Gerrard-type leader if selected - one that tries to lead by example, rather than by shouting and barking at his players. Cahill enjoyed the best season of his life last term with Chelsea, and given that he is 28, the centre-back has a few years of international football left in him. England have a long history of centre-half captains, including Bobby Moore, John Terry, Terry Butcher and Tony Adams.
:: JACK WILSHERE
Last year Gerrard said Wilshere has what it takes to one day become England captain. The 22-year-old Arsenal player has a long international future ahead of him - providing he can stay clear of injury. The 20-cap midfielder has probably harmed his chances though by being pictured smoking a cigarette while on holiday in Las Vegas. Wilshere is the natural successor to Gerrard in the team, but it would be a shock if Hodgson thought he could succeed the Liverpool midfielder as captain too.
