Ali McCann's international teammate gives verdict on him as Preston North End captain
Ali McCann was appointed PNE captain following the departure of Ben Whiteman.
Conor Washington believes Ali McCann is a ‘great’ choice to be Preston North End captain.
The 2026-27 season has already been one of change for Preston, with Graham Alexander replacing Paul Heckingbottom as manager.
But before even that, North End needed to pick a new captain following the sale of Ben Whiteman to Wrexham after two years with the armband.
Fellow midfielder McCann was the man entrusted with the responsibility, and his former international teammate Washington believes he has all the attributes to be a great leader.
“I actually started alongside Ali when he made his Northern Ireland debut away to Austria in 2020,” Washington told The Post, via BestBettingBonuses.co.uk.
“I remember being really impressed by how quickly he adapted to the level. He was coming up against top players like David Alaba in midfield, but he didn’t look out of place at all. I think that tells you a lot about him as a player.
“He's been really unfortunate with injuries over the last few seasons, but I think he's a great choice as captain.
“He's someone who leads by example, works incredibly hard and sets standards through his performances rather than necessarily being the loudest voice in the dressing room.
“He's the type of player who can be the beating heart of a team, and I think that's exactly what Preston will be hoping he brings as captain.”
Ali McCann injury latest
Unfortunately for McCann, he only got to wear the armband a handful of times before he was struck down by a hamstring injury in August.
Though he had made a step-up in his recovery by returning to the grass at Euxton, he still remains more than a month away from a comeback.
Alexander said this week: “He's still over a month away.
“I think he's just got to build up his running, the percentage of his match speed and he's still quite a bit away from where he needs to get to but all his progress has been on track.
“I was speaking to him last week, he felt great that he was being able to run. Players take it for granted until they get injured and then the basic stuff of being out on the grass and being able to run is a positive step.
“But it's still a bit of a journey for him to go.”