Ferdinand tipped to lead England

Manager Fabio Capello is expected to name his permanent England captain on Tuesday, with defender Rio Ferdinand the favourite to land the job.

Manchester United's Ferdinand, 29, was one of four candidates tried out by Capello in his first games in charge.

Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, Chelsea's John Terry and Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham are expected to miss out.

If Ferdinand is appointed captain he will lead the team out for the friendly with the Czech Republic on Wednesday.

Terry, 27, was the captain under former coach Steve McClaren as England failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

I say to my friend Capello that Terry is a very good choice Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari

"Whoever gets the armband will get the support from all of us from the start," confirmed Cole.

"There are five or six leaders out there and the boys will get right behind whoever it is."

Capello has taken his time to choose who will wear the armband on a permanent basis, the decision coming eight months after he was appointed as McClaren's replacement.

Gerrard captained the side in Capello's first friendly against Switzerland, Ferdinand for the defeat in France, Terry for the 2-0 win over the United States and Beckham for the game against Trinidad and Tobago in June.

The Italian said all along he was merely trying out the players in the role and would make a permanent choice in time for the World Cup qualifiers, which begin in September.

Ferdinand has been in stunning form for Manchester United in the last couple of seasons and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson recently said he was "close to being the best centre-back in the world".

Ferdinand is also widely considered to have matured off the pitch as well as on it after some ill-considered behaviour early on in his career.

He was also the only player in the Champions League final in May between United and Chelsea who joined up with the England squad for their summer friendly in Trinidad.

The other players were all given time off to rest after a long season.

Terry, who missed a crucial penalty in that final, is increasingly dogged by injury - the dislocated elbow he suffered in May was his eighth fitness problem since December 2006.

However, new Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari has urged Capello to pick Terry as his captain on a permanent basis.

"I say to my friend Capello that Terry is a very good choice," said Scolari. "He is a proper captain. He is a man that when you say something to him he will help you achieve it."

England's next game after the Czech Republic encounter at Wembley is a World Cup qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona on Saturday 6 September.

Source: bbc.co.uk/