United - And the Captain Is!

Not only is Rio Ferdinand expected to make his long awaited return to the first team tonight, after injury, but it also looks as if Rio will be handed the captains armband.

Ferdinand, who many suspect will retake the national captaincy role when he resumes international duties, will be the captain on the pitch but Gary Neville will remain the club captain, with Sir Alex Ferguson remarking to the media about the situation,

"Gary is still club captain, but I`ve been looking for someone who is going to be playing consistently every week."

"The last two or three years - and Gary agrees with me - we`ve had to pass the baton along the line a few times."

"We`ve not had a consistent captain and Gary`s injuries have prevented him from playing all the time. If he was available all the time, he`d be the captain. But I have to look at the overall picture."

"With all due respect to Gary`s time at United, he knows and I know that we don`t play him every week. I`m looking for someone who is going to play every week as part of the criteria to be captain a tour club."

All fair points, but what does Gary Neville have to say on the matter,

"It`s something we spoke about last season when it was obvious I wasn`t going to be playing most matches."

"I was captain one week, then it was Rio, Ryan Giggs or Edwin van der Sar."

"That`s not ideal. You need someone leading the team out every week."

"Being captain is an honour but it`s never been a priority for me. I played here for most of my career not as captain. So not to be captain is not unusual."

One question! Will it be shuffled around again if, or when, Rio gets injured again?

If so, who would you give the armband to, apart from Rio, on a regular basis?



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