Steven Gerrard expected to become England captain

Feb 4 2008 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post

LIVERPOOL’S Steven Gerrard is the leading candidate to be Fabio Capello’s first captain – but the England manager will wait until tomorrow before announcing his choice.

With John Terry injured, Gerrard is the obvious choice but Capello insists whoever is skipper will not be given the job permanently.

That way, Capello gives himself plenty of room for manoeuvre before deciding who is to be his captain in the long-term.

Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen are the only other realistic choices to be captain against Switzerland on Wednesday but Gerrard must be odds-on to lead the England side out at Wembley. Capello said: “I plan to name a captain for the Switzerland game on Tuesday, but I don’t expect to appoint a permanent captain until we start the qualifying games. I want to work closely with the players before deciding on this.”

Capello’s slimmed-down 23-man squad contained few surprises when he announced it last night, but Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor is unlikely to feature after sustaining a hamstring injury in his team’s 2-1 defeat at Fulham yesterday.

“It’s highly unlikely he’ll play for England. Whether it’s a strain or a pull I can’t see him playing,” said Villa manager Martin O’Neill.

“He was fouled just before half-time and felt his hamstring. It is quite sore at the moment and he went out just after the break to try to run it off and felt it so we didn’t take any chances.

“Of course he is disappointed. It was boost for him to be called up and had been thoroughly deserved.

“He may well still travel to meet up in the party we’ll have to see, but as for playing that’s unlikely I think.”

The injury to the 21-year-old Agbonlahor means Capello has only three strikers left in the squad and he may have to bring someone else in as cover.

Capello has also been denied the services of Emile Heskey and Ledley King because of injury, while Curtis Davies (Aston Villa), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth) Nicky Shorey (Reading), Michael Carrick (Manchester United) and Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough) were the other players he decided would miss out after cutting them from his provisional 30-man squad.

After announcing his squad, Capello said: “I want to be clear that the players who have not made the squad this time are still part of my plans.

“We will be monitoring the form of everyone very closely as we work towards the competitive matches which start in September.

“It is of course a blow to lose Ledley King from the squad. He is a very good player who has impressed me a lot when I have seen him play.”

ENGLAND 23-man squad for the friendly against Switzerland on February 6: Carson (Aston Villa), James (Portsmouth), Kirkland (Wigan); Bridge (Chelsea), Brown (Manchester United), A Cole (Chelsea), Ferdinand (Manchester United) Lescott (Everton), Richards (Manchester City), Upson (West Ham), Woodgate (Tottenham); Barry (Aston Villa), Bentley (Blackburn), J Cole (Chelsea), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Manchester United), Jenas (Tottenham), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Young (Aston Villa); Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Crouch (Liverpool), Owen (Newcastle), Rooney (Manchester United).