Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has been handed the captain's armband by Arsene Wenger for the new Premier League season.
Mertesacker, 31, had seemed the likely choice for the captaincy until he sustained a knee injury last month that needed surgery, with Wenger having said the German isn't expected back for a few months.
But the Arsenal boss has handed the centre-back the armband regardless, and said vice-captains Laurent Koscielny and Santi Cazorla will fill in until Mertesacker returns.