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Rio’s up for World Cup captaincy if Beckham’s out (22 Apr)

Leeds United skipper Rio Ferdinand says he would love to be England’s captain at the World Cup finals if David Beckham is forced to drop out of Sven Goran Eriksson’s squad.

The £18 million defender is hoping against hope that Beckham returns from his foot injury in time for the national team’s first game in Japan and Korea.

But if the Manchester United hero fails in his fitness fight then boss Eriksson need look no further than the former West Ham star.

Commenting for the first time on the speculation that he's the leading candidate to take over from Beckham, Ferdinand declared: “The thought gives me a bigger buzz than any other.

”When I was handed the armband at Leeds it had a really positive effect on my game. It made me concentrate more than ever before, and I'm certainly not affected by the extra pressure it can bring.”

Should he get the call it's a certainty that Ferdinand will be a far noisier leader than Beckham or Michael Owen, who led the team against Paraguay.

The Leeds man said: "There's no question that the job made me a lot more vocal than I was before – but I'd much sooner David was there at the finals as captain.

“Everybody knows that he is inspirational and had so much to do with us qualifying for the finals.

“But if he doesn't make it then there would be no greater accolade for me than to be handed to armband.”

Despite the initial reservations held by many about the possibility of a foreign taking over the reins of the English team, Sven Goran Eriksson has rapidly cemented his place as one of the most respected managers in England's history. He has transformed a struggling outfit into a well-organized footballing side, which on its day could now beat any opposition.

I'm not saying that we're going to win the World Cup- there is still great progress to be made. But a similar rate of improvement over the coming 6 months will ensure that England pass through a difficult group stage and into the knockout phases.

Up front we still need an alternative to/partner for Owen. He is currently one of the hottest finishers in the game, but is susceptible to injury. Other strikers have failed to impress on any consistent basis. Heskey and Fowler too often look ordinary at international level and Cole, despite his movement and work-rate, is unlikely to score from the one or two opportunities that arise at the highest level of the game. The creative and intelligent Teddy Sheringham seems to be our best option but there will be question marks over his age and fitness. Maybe we should consider the option of him sharing 90 mins. with Sunderland goalscorer Kevin Phillips.

The midfield looks very strong. Taking over the captaincy seems to have channelled Beckham's petulant streak into controlled agression, developing him into a truly world-class player. His performance against Greece in the recent qualifier was posssibly the best I've ever seen in an England shirt. Stephen Gerrard is rapidly maturing into the complete midfielder, and Paul Scholes' surging runs from behind the front two have produced an excellent goalscoring record in international football. The left-sided position is still not sorted, but Graeme LeSaux's recent form for Chelsea may not go unnoticed by the ever-present Sven.

There still needs to be some change at the back too. Since moving to Leeds, Rio Ferdinand's defensive game has improved, and added to his competence on the ball he is looking good. More recent arrival Ashley Cole has also been impressive and now has a little time to mature. However I am still not convinced by Sol Campbell, although to be fair I felt the same way before France 1998 and he seemed to rise to the occasion. Admittedly I could be accused of Chelsea bias but I don't think it will be long before John Terry starts a full international, and the sooner the better. Phil Neville still has his worrying tendency to get caught behind the center backs and it's a testament to his better qualities that he's lasted so long.

Finally, between the sticks, the Seaman/Martyn debate has not been fully settled. On recent performances it has to be leaning in Martyn's favour. Both are getting a bit long in the tooth however, and third keeper's place in the squad will likely go to talented youngster Robinson.

Chester