Skipper injured in training...
By Matt Monaghan
4 Jun 2010 18:02:00
The Football Association have confirmed England captain Rio Ferdinand is out of the World Cup with a knee injury and Tottenham Hotspur's Michael Dawson has been called up as a replacement.
BBC Radio 5 Live reported Ferdinand, 31, broke down after a tackle from Aston Villa's Emile Heskey. Manager Fabio Capello confirmed earlier today that Dawson had been drafted in on stand-by after he was initially cut from the provisional 30-man squad.
Rio grounded | England captain set to
miss World Cup finals with knee injury
In an official statement issued, the FA confirmed that Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard will take over from Ferdinand.
It said: "England Captain Rio Ferdinand today suffered a left-knee ligament injury in training.
"Further to a scan arranged by the England medical staff immediately after training on Friday afternoon, Rio has been ruled out for 4-6 weeks and will therefore unfortunately miss the World Cup.
"Tottenham Hotspur's Michael Dawson has been contacted today and will fly to South Africa on Friday evening.
"Steven Gerrard will lead the England team as captain in the tournament."
Capello added on the FA's official website: "It is obviously bad news and everyone with the squad is very disappointed and sorry for Rio.
"It was an accidental injury in training, but had nothing to do with the pitch."
The skipper's Manchester United campaign was blighted by a recurring back problem, though today's blow is not related. He only started 11 Premier League matches last term as the club finished one point behind champions Chelsea.
Ferdinand was handed the armband in February after John Terry was stripped of the role after newspaper revelations. The duo were expected to start in the heart of the defence.
Ledley King or Jamie Carragher are now the favourites to line-up alongside Terry when England kick off their campaign against the United States of America on June 12.
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