Chelsea defender David Luiz has said that he expects Gary Cahill to be appointed club captain on a full-time basis after filling in for John Terry last season.
The 31-year-old skippered the Blues to the Premier League title in the absence of regular captain Terry, who barely featured for the majority of the campaign before leaving for Aston Villa.
Brazil international Luiz has been tipped to take on the role due to his strong leadership qualities, but the 30-year-old is happy to be captain in all but name to help Chelsea to further success.
"I think it continues to be Gary, why not? It's not about the armband, it's about your leadership every day, your discipline and the way you try to help the team," he told reporters. "I have already had the armband here and I always try to be a leader and try to help.
"I have loved this responsibility since I was young. I was the youngest captain in Benfica history, so I always take responsibility. When you play for big clubs you always have responsibility. This is just a case of us having to carry on."
Luiz rejoined Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain last summer for a fee of £32m, going on to make 38 appearances in all competitions for the English champions.