Ferdinand expects Capello to hand back captaincy

Rio Ferdinand believes Fabio Capello will allow him to reclaim the England captaincy despite calls for Steven Gerrard to keep the role.

In the absence of Ferdinand due to a knee problem, Gerrard has impressed as skipper for England’s opening two Euro 2012 qualifying wins over Bulgaria and Switzerland.

Some pundits even believe Liverpool midfielder Gerrard, who also filled in as skipper during the World Cup, should now retain the captaincy.

However Ferdinand, who is close to returning to action, is confident he will win back the armband for the next qualifier against Montenegro next month.

Asked if he was concerned about the captaincy being returned, Ferdinand told The Sun on Thursday: “I think Capello said that a while ago.

“I think he answered it the last time the squad were together.”

Capello has added to the uncertainty by revealing he is not bothered who leads the side.

“For me the performance of the player is important, not the armband,” said Capello. “It is not a priority for me. The armband is not important.”

After England’s 2-1 friendly win over Hungary at Wembley – in which Gerrard scored both goals – Capello said: “Rio is the captain, Gerrard is the vice- captain. Rio will be fit, we hope shortly, and he will be captain.”

Ferdinand was appointed England skipper when Capello stripped John Terry of the armband, but the Manchester United defender has been unable to take up the position due to his injury.