Rio Ferdinand ruled out of England's World Cup qualifier
England manager Fabio Capello confirmed the Manchester United defender was unavailable for the game against Andorra, but he is expected to be fit for Wednesday's trip to Croatia.
The match against Andorra in Barcelona is Capello's first competitive match since he took over from Steve McClaren following England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008.
Capello insisted "the door is still open" for Newcastle United striker Michael Owen despite his omission from England's squad for their first two World Cup qualifying matches.
There were doubts cast over the international future of Owen after he was not included in the party for the forthcoming fixtures against Andorra and Croatia.
But head coach Capello has addressed concerns that Owen, 28, is no longer part of his plans and explained that fitness was the major factor behind the decision.
"I considered things and I decided he [Owen] is not fit physically," Capello explained.
"The match against the Czech Republic you could see that Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney were not fit and they played on 60 and 70 minutes.
"So it is for this reason I have not included Michael Owen but the door is still open for him to return."
Capello also said that he has seen his squad develop since he has taken over from Steve McClaren earlier this year, even though England's performances have not been convincing.
"I have seen a lot of improvement because the players understand what I want and at this moment I am confident in the players in the team for the next two games," Capello added.
"When we played against the Czech Republic the players were not completely fit but now they are better.
"This is only the first game and we have just started on the road for South Africa. We have many more games to play."
Labels: Manchester United, Premiership, Rio Ferdinand, selecções
This entry was posted
on Friday, September 05, 2008 at 10:39 AM.
