England reeling as captain Ferdinand ruled out of World Cup
Published:With just eight days until their first World Cup match, England are in disarray after captain Rio Ferdinand was ruled out of the competition with a knee injury.
Ferdinand sustained the injury in a tackle during England’s first training session at their Bafokeng base in South Africa on Friday.
Tottenham’s Michael Dawson is expected to fly out imminently as a replacement for the injured centre-back, but Fabio Capello’s toughest choice will be to determine Ferdinand’s replacement as captain.
The manager will not want to burden Wayne Rooney with the extra responsibility, while there is seemingly no way back for Terry, who was stripped of the armband earlier this year. As a result, Steven Gerrard is expected to inherit the captaincy.
Goalkeeper David James, who has been handed the number one jersey, missed the training session with a knee complaint, though the injury is not thought to be serious.
Could Rio’s injury scare harm England’s hopes? They are 7/1 to win the World Cup. See the full Tournament Winner market.
