Agence France-Presse . London

England caretaker manager Stuart Pearce delayed naming his captain for Wednesday’s friendly against the Netherlands but revealed he had already decided who would lead the team at Wembley.

With John Terry stripped of the captaincy, speculation has mounted over who Pearce would select to skipper England in Wednesday’s high-profile international against the Dutch.

But Pearce - managing England following the shock resignation of Fabio Capello - ensured the speculation would rage for another day on Tuesday after refusing to divulge which player would wear the armband.

‘The captain will be announced tomorrow when the team is announced tomorrow morning. It’s a format that I have followed at club level and under-21 level and I didn’t see it necessary to change it at this moment in time,’ Pearce said.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who led England at the 2010 World Cup, is regarded as the front-runner for the position although Pearce insisted he had considered ‘several candidates’ for the role.