Injured England captain Rio Ferdinand out of the World Cup
England captain Rio Ferdinand has been ruled out of the World Cup in South Africa with a knee injury.
The Manchester United defender sustained a knee ligament problem when he challenged forward Emile Heskey at England’s first training session at their base in Rustenburg, and was immediately rushed to a local hospital.
After undergoing a scan on his left knee, the 31-year-old left on crutches to the news that he will now miss this summer’s showpiece event, with Tottenham Hotspur’s Michael Dawson on standby to replace him, and expected to fly out to South Africa in the next few hours.
Vice-captain Steven Gerrard, of Liverpool, will now step up to lead his country’s World Cup campaign, which begins against the USA in Rustenburg on June 12th.
Tags: