Ferdinand, who admits he will consider his England career a disappointment if he does not win some silverware with his country, narrowly missed out on being handed the armband by Fabio Capello in August but is standing by to take over if the Chelsea man fails to shake off his back problem.

Terry has been troubled by the back complaint since a recurrence against CFR Cluj last week and while he was able to play a partial role in training on Wednesday after missing Tuesday's session, he did not complete it all.

While the Football Association have yet to officially rule Terry out of the match, reports suggest the likes of Matthew Upson and Joleon Lescott are already being readied to start on Saturday, and could even be required for the match with Belarus next week.

Emile Heskey is expected to be involved despite sitting out training with a back injury.

If called upon to lead the side, Ferdinand will be hoping to oversee two wins and help push England closer to a competition he is desperate to win.