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Ferdinand allays fitness fears

Rio Ferdinand is determined to deliver World Cup success this time around after missing out in 2002 and 2006 © Getty Images

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England skipper Rio Ferdinand insists his injury troubles are behind him and he is fully fit for the World Cup finals.

Ferdinand managed just 12 Premier League starts this season for Manchester United leading to question marks over his place on the plane to South Africa. But Ferdinand is confident those worries are now behind him.

"Listen, I'm fit," Ferdinand told the Daily Mail. "It has never even crossed my mind that injury would put me out of the tournament. My back troubles happened before Christmas, so I knew the time scale. There's been a lot of frustration for me at my club and it's been a disappointing season all round. But if there is any silver lining to be found, it's that I'll be fresh and full of energy at the World Cup."

Ferdinand was also bemused at suggestions that a delegation from Fabio Capello's medical team had travelled to assess his injury and rule on his fitness for South Africa.

"I don't know where some of this information comes from. I've not spoken to anyone from the FA medical staff in person. They talk directly to the physios and doctors at the club - and they do that for everyone in the England squad, not just me. Besides, our medical team at United would have no hesitation in saying I'll be okay for the World Cup.

"I've not played a lot this season, and I realise there'll be attention on that, but I'm fine. I woke up last weekend to stories saying I wouldn't be able to play against Stoke - even though I'd trained for 10 days without any issues.

"I played in a testimonial at West Ham, I trained the day after that. I trained on the Saturday before United's last game and went out and put in 90 minutes against Stoke wi thout any problems. There was no reaction. Nothing. But some things get written anyway and you end up having to laugh at it if you can.

"In layman's terms, the ligaments in my back were loose and needed to be tightened up. It was affecting my stability. And when the procedure was complete, I had to wait for the area around them to heal. Before, my mobility was probably 50% less than it should have been. Rather than keeping playing on, I had to take a step back and do all my rehabilitation. That's all done now and I feel good."

Ferdinand also believes England are still very strong in the centre-back department.

"If you believed some of the stuff, we've gone from having an array of centre halves who are among the best there is, to having people who aren't fit, out of form and who shouldn't even be going - well, it's just not true."

"We're talking about players who, a matter of months ago, were dead certainties to get into any team in the world, let alone the England side. And they still are. That's what a World Cup brings, it hypes up opinions, it puts individuals under the microscope and sometimes issues get blown out of proportion.

"A few players, like Wayne Rooney for instance, are carrying niggling injuries now, but they will be all right because they have time to recover."

Ferdinand also described the differences between Capello and his boss at United, Sir Alex Ferguson.

"Capello doesn't get too close, which is good in my view," Ferdinand said. "It's not healthy when the players become comfortable around the manager. Sir Alex has a laugh, but he knows when to stop. And I don't think any of us truly knows Ferguson or what he really thinks about certain things. He keeps the gap between him and us. Capello has got that element right as well.

''There's no special favours for anyone. Everyone is treated the same. There is no "I" or "me", there is "us" and "we". Capello is really strong on that."

But Ferdinand refused to predict an England victory this summer: "I said "We can win it" in Japan and then again in Germany and we f****** well haven't done it either time, so I'm not going down that road again.

"But we have excellent players. England just haven't been able to pull it all together. Whether that's down to the managers not getting the best out of the team, or the players themselves not being able to become more than individuals, I don't know. But we can't let it happen again."

One thing Ferdinand is sure of it that the squad needs a professional outlook within the camp. And that includes minimal interactions with the infamous WAGS.

"In Germany our hotels were more central than Japan and we could see the squares packed with people partying and drinking beer. Japan was a lot more businesslike, because we were away from all that. I hope it's the same in South Africa. No distractions, no wives, no girlfriends.

"We're not allowed time with family or friends before club games. We relax among each other and that's how it needs to be at the World Cup. It's almost like a boxer's training camp. I want to lock myself away, not think about how much it must mean to everyone. You have to create an environment that seems normal. In the back of your mind you know it's going completely crazy in England, but you try to forget that.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.