Ferdinand to Captain England in Paris

Rio Ferdinand will captain England against France tomorrow night in Paris, with manager Fabio Capello continuing his approach of rotating the captaincy during friendlies.

Steven Gerrard captained the team in Capello's opening match as England coach against Switzerland at Wembley last month. Capello will confirm England's permanent captain in the summer, ahead of the World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign. "Fabio Capello has confirmed this continues his policy of rotating the captaincy between players in the friendly matches," read an FA statement.

John Terry, who had been appointed as skipper by previous head coach Steve McClaren, is back in the squad against the French after missing the 2-1 win over Switzerland through injury.

Capello's decision represents a major turnaround for Ferdinand, who only four years ago received an eight-month ban from the Football Association after failing to attend a drugs test at Manchester United's Carrington training ground. That resulted in him missing the European Championship finals in Portugal.

Capello is due to explain his selection this evening in Paris, when he will hold a press conference.