England captain Ferdinand out of World Cup

England captain Rio Ferdinand has been ruled out of the FIFA World Cup after suffering an injury to his left knee just eight days before his country's opening game in South Africa.

Ferdinand left hospital on crutches after going for a scan following a challenge with Emile Heskey during Friday training and the Football Association have since confirmed that he has been ruled out for between four and six weeks with ligament damage.

The 31-year-old only assumed the England captaincy from fellow defender John Terry in February and had led the side in the recent friendly victories against Mexico and Japan. The Manchester United FC centre-back has endured injury-ravaged season at club level, with back and groin problems restricting him to just 12 Premier League starts.

"It is obviously bad news and everyone with the squad is very disappointed and sorry for Rio," said England manager Fabio Capello. Liverpool FC skipper Steven Gerrard will now step up from his role as vice-captain as Capello seeks to ready his team for their Group C opener against the United States on Saturday week. They will then play Algeria on Friday 18 June and Slovenia the following Wednesday.

Tottenham Hotspur FC's Michael Dawson, who failed to make the cut when Capello trimmed his squad from 30 to 23 on Tuesday, will fly to South Africa as Ferdinand's replacement.

There was better news for Capello on Friday after Manchester City FC midfielder Gareth Barry resumed training having been out of action since 5 May with an ankle injury.