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Terry 'delighted' to welcome back Rio

John Terry is excited to have Rio Ferdinand back among the England ranks © PA Photos

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England skipper John Terry says he is "delighted" to have welcomed back former leader Rio Ferdinand to the England fold, admitting he is relishing re-forming a defensive partnership with the Manchester United defender against Switzerland on Saturday.

Ferdinand has not featured in an England shirt since he handed over the armband earlier this year when Fabio Capello returned the honour to Terry, who was stripped of the captaincy in February last year following allegations about his private life.

The Premier League rivals look set to start alongside each other in Saturday's Euro 2012 qualifier at Wembley, and Terry says he is looking forward to Ferdinand's return.

"I'm delighted seeing him come back from injury at Manchester United and he's been different class in the Premier League and the Champions League," he said.

"I'm delighted for him to be back fully fit and alongside me tomorrow."

Although Ferdinand was unhappy with the way Capello conducted the captaincy debacle, Terry is adamant there are no issues between him and his team-mate.

"No, not at all," he said. "There're no problems between us, like there wasn't when he got the armband."

Capello has often come in for criticism for a perceived lack of communication with his players but Terry insists that is no longer the case.

"I think not only between those two [Capello and Ferdinand], but with everyone," he said. "I think over the years the manager's relationship with everyone has got better. I think there's a really good balance at the moment.

"It's been a really relaxed atmosphere over the last three or four months which is good. There are a lot of young players in the squad fighting for places so training has been very intense and enjoyable.

"He understands what makes us tick. The communication between the players and the management has been fantastic."

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