Steven Gerrard Named as England Captain
Fabio Capello has confirmed that Steven Gerrard will captain England in Wednesday's international friendly against Egypt.
Gerrard takes the arm-band in place of an injured Rio Ferdinand, who in turn received it after former skipper John Terry was sacked as captain following allegations into his personal life.
Capello seemed eager to move past these allegations which saw a media frenzy ensue after John Terry was accused of having an affair with former Chelsea team mate Wayne Bridge's ex-girlfriend.
"The important thing is how the players perform on the pitch and not what happens outside," stated Capello.
The England boss went on to say he is expecting an “interesting” match on Wednesday at Wembley Stadium.
"We hope to play very well and we invite the fans to help us," he added.
Terry was booed by fans over the weekend when Chelsea played Manchester City. Capello hopes this will not be repeated at Wednesday's match, a hope shared with Manchester United star striker Wayne Rooney who made a plea on behalf of the former England captain earlier in the week.
Capello has also said that he has been impressed with the way his players have been training during their first session since November after urging them 're-create a spirit” within the team.
"I spoke with the players. You have to do training really focused because after four months it was really important to do that well. For me now I'm really happy because the spirit is something I remember we had in November." enthused the Italian.
Liverpool star Steven Gerrard told reporters that he felt privileged to be made captain; "Being England captain is always a big responsibility. I am delighted that I will be leading the boys out."
Gerrard went on to echo Capello's sentiment to move past the Terry scandal.
"The players have a responsibility to forget about what's being written off the field and focus on what we can do on the pitch.” said the new England skipper.
Ladbrokes and Betfair offer 2/5 odds of Gerrard leading England to victory over Egypt.
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