The England football squad have been rocked by news that skipper Rio Ferdinand has been ruled out of this summer’s South African showpiece.
Rio Ferdinand: Crocked
The central defender – who also captains club team Manchester United – is thought to be facing up to six-weeks on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury in training.
It was feared that the charismatic talisman may have experienced ligament damage after he was seen limping out of hospital on crutches, close to the Three Lions training base in Rustenburg.
Manager Fabio Capello said: “Today another bad news was the last moment of the training.
“Rio suffered a problem of the knee (during a tackle) and he went to hospital for a scan.”
Tottenham defender Michael Dawson – who was in the initial 30-man provisional team – has been called up as a replacement.
Replacement Michael Dawson
Vice captain, Steven Gerrard, is expected to take the armband in the Three Lions first game against the USA.
James Haigh
Tags: england, football, Rio Ferdinand, Sports, world cup
