England flanker James Haskell has played down speculation that he could be the next England captain.

The 22-year-old Wasps flanker has been suggested as a possible England leader in the mould of Will Carling, who was appointed to the job in 1988 at the same age

Haskell has impressed for his club this season and stood out as one of the better players for England in the recent Six Nations, although his time on the field was curtailed by injury against France.

And as rumours persist that change is afoot in the England hierarchy, talk has also turned to who should be the man to lead England into a new era on the field. But Hasjkell insisted he has plenty to focus on without worrying about a potential captaincy role.

“I’ve got two big battles,” Haskell said. “Firstly it’s getting into the Wasps team and staying there and if I am lucky enough to be involved with England again I have to make sure I’ve nailed down my place.

“If I was ever asked it would be a great honour and I would hopefully do a good job. However, there’s many a slip twixt cup and lip and I’m really not looking any further than Leicester this weekend.”

Haskell also defended coach Brian Ashton, whose position has been questioned after an inconsistent Six Nations performance by England.

“It’s more about individual players, making sure that they raise their own standards,” he said. “We weren’t ruthless enough at times. We let ourselves down in terms of not finishing games off and making things tighter than they were.

“By the end of it we had taken a few steps forward and we developed a style of playing and a concept that works well for England, which is being aggressive and being direct.”