Source: Daily_Mail
Rio Ferdinand to captain England against Montenegro
Fabio Capello has placed his faith in comeback captain Rio Ferdinand as more injury chaos disrupted preparations for England's Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro. [LNB]Darren Bent became the fourth injured player to head home in four days since the squad met but Ferdinand has proved himself fit to reclaim the armband from Steven Gerrard and lead out the team at Wembley on Tuesday night.[LNB] Happy return: Rio Ferdinand rather than Steven Gerrard will lead England against Montenegro tonight[LNB] James Milner's suspension and injuries to Theo Walcott and Aaron Lennon also mean the inexperienced Ashley Young and Adam Johnson will start on the wings. [LNB]Capello took Gerrard aside at the team hotel on Sunday night to explain there would be no permanent promotion despite his impressive captaincy during seven games without Ferdinand.[LNB]'Steven understands,' said the England manager. 'He played like a captain with a fantastic performance every time, like a leader on the pitch. I thanked him. But the rules are really important. We know who is the captain and who is the vice-captain. [LNB]'I decided to wait until the last minute to see if the players would be fit. I monitored Rio and he is really fit. I spoke with the players before training to say Rio would be captain and now it's finished. My rules are my rules. I never change.'[LNB] Centre of attention: Ferdinand is back at the heart of England's defence to face Montenegro[LNB]In the frame: Joleon Lescott[LNB]Ferdinand keeps the role despite losing the armband at Manchester United to Nemanja Vidic, although he admits he must rebuild his reputation at international level after an injury-hit two years. [LNB]'I'm not stupid,' said Ferdinand. 'I've been injured and out for a while, so I have to prove myself again. That's not a problem for me. But it's about the collective unit, the team, not the individual.'[LNB]Alan Hansen, who won 26 Scotland caps, claimed the 31-year-old ought to consider following United team-mates Wes Brown, Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes and Dimitar Berbatov into international retirement but the England skipper was not impressed. [LNB]'How many times did he play for Scotland?' snapped 78-cap Ferdinand. 'You can't retire from England. I can't. You have to respect other people's decisions but I love playing for England. Unless I'm physically incapable, it's not something I would consider.' [LNB]In the absence of John Terry, Ferdinand will be paired with Joleon Lescott in Capello's 13th different central defensive partnership in less than three years since the Italian took charge.[LNB]Capello is without a list of playersstretching well into double figures, including Terry, Bent, Lennon andPhil Jagielka after his squad was announced. [LNB]Bent pulled out afterinjuring his groin in a tangle with Lescott near the end of Monday'straining session at Wembley and revealed his anguish on his Twitterpage. [LNB] [LNB] [LNB] [LNB] [LNB]'Devastated, gutted, upset, angry, all words to sum up the situation,' said the Sunderland striker.[LNB]Capello, who chose not to call up another striker, will start with Peter Crouch and Wayne Rooney in attack, with uncapped Kevin Davies his only option from the bench. [LNB]Montenegro captain Mirko Vucinic sat out training on Monday with a hamstring injury. Manager Zlatko Kranjcar gave him a '50-50' chance of playing.[LNB] Decisions: Fabio Capello is still mulling his final selection for the match with Montenegro[LNB] VIDEO: Rio on leading out England... Rio Ferdinand wins back captain's armband from Steven Gerrard for England's crunch qualifier with Montenegro Bent misses big chance after injury rules him out of clash with MontenegroWayne Rooney is ready to roar for England, insists manager Fabio CapelloMartin Samuel: Picking Kevin Davies is a crying shame for the English game...Mourinho backing Cole to become most-capped England player ever[LNB] Explore more:People: Paul Scholes, Kevin Davies, Joleon Lescott, John Terry, Fabio Capello, Ashley Young, Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon, Edwin Van Der Sar, Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Adam Johnson, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Rio Ferdinand, James Milner, Wes Brown, Steven Gerrard, Nemanja Vidic Places: Scotland, Montenegro, United Kingdom
