Since former skipper Wayne Rooney announced his retirement from international football the issue of who will take the armband has been a hot topic.
Alli’s Spurs teammate Harry Kane has taken on the role under Gareth Southgate, as well as Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson.
However, Collymore thinks that handing Alli the responsibility would see him ‘fly’.
“Let's forget this idea of passing around the England captaincy and give the armband to Dele Alli now,” Collymore wrote in his Mirror column.
“I know he can be spiteful, he can be antsy and that even his manager Mauricio Pochettino had a little pop the other day.
“But this is the boy who needs making into a man and if Gareth Southgate were to make him captain ahead of the World Cup finals we’d see the boy fly.
“Some of you will say the captaincy would take away some of his flare but that’s utter tosh and I’m sick of players being mollycoddled.”
Kane is the bookmakers' favourite to captain the side when they walk out for their first game at the Russia World Cup next summer, but Collymore adds that Alli’s midfield role could be more beneficial.
He continued: “Responsibility isn’t a bad thing, it’s a great thing, and while Harry Kane is getting on with scoring the goals Alli could be marshalling the team from midfield.
Read More
“He could lead England into the next two or three tournaments — he really is the outstanding choice.”