• Euro 2012

Rio confirms Euro 2012 axe

ESPN staff
May 16, 2012
Rio Ferdinand has 81 England caps © PA Photos
Enlarge

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has confirmed that England boss Roy Hodgson has omitted him from the Euro 2012 squad.

Ferdinand, 33, has enjoyed a fine season for United, playing in 38 games in all competitions - the most he has managed since 2008/09, and just two years ago he was made England captain before injury ruled him out of the 2010 World Cup.

However, it appears the United veteran will not be adding to his 81 caps any time soon, with Hodgson apparently opting for Chelsea skipper John Terry instead.

When asked after United's friendly against an Irish League XI on Tuesday whether the rumours he had been left out were true, Ferdinand confirmed that he would not be going to Euro 2012.

Terry was accused of racially abusing Ferdinand's brother Anton last year and since then it has been thought that one of the former England centre-back partners would need to be dropped in a bid to retain some sort of harmony in the Three Lions dressing-room.

And with Sir Alex Ferguson recently calling into question Ferdinand's ability to play two games in four days because of a long-standing back problem, it seems Hodgson will turn to Terry to marshall his backline in Poland and Ukraine.

Hodgson will officially announce England's 23-man Euro 2012 squad on Wednesday at 1pm.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices