Manchester United Football Club

• Nickname:Red Devils
• Founded:1878
• Manager:Sir Alex Ferguson

• Ground:Old Trafford
• Capacity:68174

Ferdinand: I'll be fit for World Cup

17 Dec 2009 - 11:43:23

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Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand has dismissed suggestions that his long-running injury problems could force him to miss next summer's World Cup finals.

Ferdinand has missed United's last 12 games with a calf injury which is linked to his struggles with a back problem during the past 18 months.

But despite the 31-year-old centre-half still being some way off a return for the Red Devils, he has allayed fears that he could miss the World Cup.

Ferdinand is expected to be one of the mainstays of head coach Fabio Capello's final 23-man squad for the finals in South Africa.

"I'm confident I'll be fit. There's no question I'll be ready for next summer," he said. "It's the worst thing for a player to be injured and to be just watching your team, so I've been working hard in the gym to get fit.

"The treatment on my injury is going well. It's been quite slowly, slowly but we're getting there.

"I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's been a tough and long lay-off for me because I have never been injured before."