James Milner will captain England for the first time in Tuesday's friendly against the Netherlands, the Football Association announced on Monday afternoon.

It will be Milner's 58th England cap, with his international career spanning seven years. His debut, ironically enough, was against Tuesday's opponents back in 2009, whilst the midfielder was still at Aston Villa.

Captaincy comes after Milner reveals he's to consider future

The news, endorsed by national boss Roy Hodgson, who hailed Milner as "a very good midfield player", comes less than 24 hours after the Liverpool player announced that he was open to considering his international future after this summer's European Championship's.

Milner admitted that at the age of 30, he's already built up a great amount of international experience, so the thought of being a bit-part player isn't all that appealing. However, he is focused on the job at hand, and will discuss things with Hodgson after the tournament.

Critics out there might argue that he's been handed the captaincy for Tuesday night in an attempt to sway his decision, when he eventually makes it, but if anything it's a little surprising that the veteran hasn't worn the armband before for England.

Three Liverpool players out, two in

Milner will lead out a vastly changed England side to the one that completed a fantastic comeback win against Germany on Friday, with club teammates Jordan Henderson, Nathaniel Clyne and Adam Lallana expected to come out of the team after starting against the Germans.

One Liverpool player expected to line-up alongside Milner is Daniel Sturridge, who will return to the international fold after 18 months away from the England set-up.

The striker suffered a thigh injury on England duty in September 2014, and has struggled to regain any type of fitness since, with several different problems popping up around his body. With this in mind, Liverpool fans will breathe a sigh of relief should he come through Tuesday's game unscathed.

Sturridge hasn't appeared for England since 2014 (photo: getty images)
Sturridge hasn't appeared for England since 2014 (photo: getty images)
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