Taylor Harwood-Bellis has been named England under-21 captain for their upcoming qualifier against Andorra, as the Manchester City defender declared his ambitions to wear the armband for any side he represents.
Centre-back Harwood-Bellis, 20, has become a regular for the Young Lions this season and has been rewarded for his good performances with the captain's armband on Friday. On loan at Stoke after spending the first half of the season at Anderlecht, Harwood-Bellis has played every minute of every game since moving to the Championship, and now he will look to bring that experience to international duty under boss Lee Carsley.
Reacting to the news, Harwood-Bellis said he aims to lead in every side he plays for, and wants to be captain for club and country in the future, telling reporters: “It’s a big honour and something I’ve strived to be in my career.
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"I’m ready to step up, take responsibility and be a leader. I let my family know and they were all proud, it’s a big thing and something I’ve worked towards. I’ve always wanted to be captain, or a leader, in any team I play in.
“I feel you can have 11 captains on the pitch even without the armband. The way I train and play I will do the same as I always have. There’s that thing about having the armband but it doesn’t change my mentality going into the game.”
However, Carsley said Harwood-Bellis isn't guaranteed to keep the captaincy as he explained his intention to rotate the armband among players in the U21 squad.
He said: “Taylor is a player I worked with in the past, my idea is I will rotate it more than I have done in the past. Some need it for a boost, some deserve it. Taylor will captain tomorrow and we’ll potentially have another captain against Albania [next Tuesday].
“Taylor is a leader, he’s very well respected on and off the pitch but I don’t want to commit to one captain, we have enough leaders in the squad here so we can rotate. I want them to experience being that leader and leading by example.”
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