Monday, October 11, 2010

'Fed up' Fabio returns captaincy to Ferdinand

England defender Rio Ferdinand will return against Montenegro on Tuesday night following the back injury to John Terry and is expected to resume the captaincy, but ESPNsoccernet understands Fabio Capello does not want to make a significant issue of the matter.

Ferdinand was made England skipper in February when Terry was stripped of the armband, but injury ruled the Manchester United defender out of the World Cup and Steven Gerrard took over as leader.

The uncertainty over Ferdinand's long-term injuries at club level means United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has now made Nemanja Vidic skipper and the centre-back's role with England has come under scrutiny for the same reason.

Capello knows that the captaincy is a big issue with the media, but it is not of such importance to him, and the England manager has become a touch irritated by the focus of attention on this issue.

An England insider told ESPNsoccernet: "I know there is a huge debate about who will be captain, and I will be honest with you, we are fed up with it, as it is not such a big issue for Fabio. It is more an issue for the media."

Gerrard retained the armband for England's opening Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland but will now hand it back to Ferdinand, who will make his first start since May 30 against Japan.

Ferdinand is expected to partner Joleon Lescott in the heart of the England defence against Montenegro on Tuesday night.

source: ESPN

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