Should FPL managers be concerned about handing Harry Kane the GW8 armband?

As we look ahead to the Gameweek 8 fixtures, man of the moment Harry Kane emerges as the standout captaincy contender based on the latest ‘Armband’ ratings. The Spurs’ striker scored England’s winning goal against Slovenia as the Three Lions booked their place to next summer’s World Cup finals in Russia and he repeated the feat against Lithuania, tucking away his penalty with aplomb. It was fitting that Kane was given the honour of captaining his country and he has, quite rightly, also been included among the Ballon D’Or nominees.

A Premier League home clash with struggling Bournemouth would appear to offer Kane the ideal fixture in which to continue his remarkable scoring run but on a cautionary note, it also presents Tottenham Hotspur  manager Mauricio Pochettino with the sort of opportunity in which he may be tempted to go without his prized asset.

Last season, Kane was sidelined with ankle complaints on 2 occasions, so the Spurs’ boss will surely be worried about the amount of football his number 10 has been playing of late. Those absences, that saw Kane miss 75 days and 16 matches in all competitions, certainly had a bearing on their season, so it’s a situation Pochettino will be keen to avoid this time around.

On top of this, there is the small matter of a Champions League match against the holders in Madrid next week, with Spurs looking to progress from the group stage after failing to do so last season, while deadline day signing Fernando Llorente could also do with getting some much needed Premier League game time under his belt.

However, if you do decide to stick with Kane this week, it might be wise to think carefully about your choice of vice captain, just in case the back to back Golden Boot winner is given that well deserved breather. So, who are the best of the rest?

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GW8 is likely to come too soon for Sergio Agüero and Álvaro Morata, while Liverpool have been rocked by Sadio Mané’s hamstring injury. Reds’ boss Jürgen Klopp is not afraid of shuffling his pack but this ill-timed injury to the Senegalese international means that he has one less option to choose from.

A trip to Anfield looks a big test for Romelu Lukaku despite his fine goalscoring form but Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, who just missed the cut, would certainly be an interesting shout, if he was to start as a ‘False 9’ in Morata’s absence.

However, Gabriel Jesus looks the most viable alternative, assuming he returns from his exploits with the Brazilian national side unscathed. A home clash with Stoke City certainly doesn’t look the most taxing of fixtures.

Fantasy Premier League managers will be glad to get back to business following the international break and we can expect a few of them to be waiting anxiously for that Tottenham team-sheet to be revealed!