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maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 MAY 2018 20 FOOTBALL SPORTS Kane named England captain for World Cup STRIKER Harry Kane will wear the captain's armband for Eng- land at next month's World Cup, ending speculation about who would lead Gareth Southgate's squad in Russia. The announcement was made in a video published on Twitter in which Southgate said Totten- ham Hotspur's Kane had "out- standing leadership" qualities. England's last full-time captain was Wayne Rooney but the arm- band has been worn by several players since the former Man- chester United forward lost his place in the squad. Southgate has often played down the significance of the po- sition, preferring to nurture a collective leadership within the team, but Kane will be the fig- urehead as England go into their 15th World Cup. Kane, who scored 30 Premier League goals for Tottenham this past season, has 23 caps for Eng- land and netted 12 times. "For me the key for a captain is that you set the tone every day in everything that we do, the way we train, the way we prepare and the professionalism towards the task," Southgate said. "Harry is an exemplary model of that. He is a meticulous pro- fessional and is prepared to chal- lenge people. "Now is a moment in his life where he is prepared to bring that into the team environment." Kane, who first captained Eng- land in a World Cup qualifier against Scotland last year, said it was a "massive honour". "I'm very excited for the World Cup, can't wait," he said. "Lead- ing the lads out is going to be special." England face Tunisia, Panama and Belgium at the World Cup in which they will send their third-youngest squad to a major tournament, with an average age of 26. He will have some experience around him, however, such as Liverpool skipper Jordan Hen- derson and Chelsea's Gary Cahill "Harry will need the support of the other good leaders we've got around him," Southgate said. "You don't become a top team by just having a good captain with good values. That has to spread right throughout the group but I think he's the one ready to take that challenge on." Harry Kane Pellegrini returns to England as West Ham manager WEST Ham United have ap- pointed former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager on a three-year deal, the Premier League club announced yes- terday. The 64-year-old Chilean left Chinese Super League outfit Hebei China Fortune on Saturday and replaces Da- vid Moyes, who left the club last week after guiding them to a 13th-placed finish in the league. "I am excited about this pro- ject... West Ham had a diffi- cult season and I hope next season we are going to play football that will delight the fans," Pellegrini told West Ham's website. "I know that this league is very good and it's not easy to do it, but I think that working together with the owners, the technical staff and the fans, we have an important power and can think about reaching important targets." West Ham joint-chairman David Sullivan said in a state- ment here that the club was looking forward to working with one of the "most respect- ed" coaches in the world. "It was important that we appointed someone with knowledge and experience of the Premier League, who al- ready has an understanding... of West Ham United and our ambitions." Former Villarreal, Real Ma- drid and Malaga boss Pel- legrini returns to England two years after leaving City, that he led to the Premier League title and a League Cup triumph in 2014. Sullivan said the appoint- ment was made bearing in mind the demands of sup- porters for attacking football. Under Pellegrini, City scored an English record 151 goals in all competitions in his debut campaign in 2013-14. "Manuel brings a reputa- tion for attacking football and getting the best out of his players," Sullivan added. "We believe he will attract new tal- ent to the London Stadium as well as improving the current squad." Pellegrini led City to an- other League Cup triumph in 2016 before making way for current boss Pep Guardiola. One of Pellegrini's chal- lenges at West Ham will be to deliver the sort of football that will keep fans happy at London Stadium, the club's unpopular home since they left Upton Park in 2016. Fans have become increas- ingly disenchanted with the club's main owners, Sullivan and David Gold, this season and protested at some home games. Things reached a head in March when some supporters invaded the pitch during the 3-0 home defeat by Burnley.