Capello picks Terry as England captain

John Terry was today named as captain for England's friendly against the United States at Wembley tomorrow night.

Head coach Fabio Capello confirmed the 27-year-old will lead out his country exactly seven days after missing the penalty that cost Chelsea victory in the Champions League Final.

The appointment provides the perfect tonic for Terry's Moscow misery and also represents an excellent opportunity for Chelsea's captain to stake his claim for the permanent appointment when the 2010 World Cup qualifiers begin in September.

"I think it is very important to be a leader and John Terry is a leader," said Capello, giving his first press conference in English since taking the job in January.

"It's a good decision for John Terry after Wednesday. He played very well. I told him he'll be the captain and he was very, very happy."

But Capello insisted Chelsea's defeat to Manchester United had no bearing on his decision and claims the captaincy for Sunday's clash against Trinidad and Tobago is still up for grabs.

"I decided before the Champions League Final that the first captain would be [Steven] Gerrard, then Rio Ferdinand and now John Terry," said Capello. "It's too early [to name the captain for Sunday]."

Terry had been named successor to David Beckham as England skipper following Steve McClaren's appointment in August 2006 but missed Capello's first game in charge against Switzerland through injury. Tomorrow night will be the first time he has taken the armband since McClaren was sacked following England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008.

McClaren's demise also appeared to signal the end of Beckham's international career. But the 32-year-old has since claimed his 100th cap and Capello is pleased with the progress the LA Galaxy star has made since taking charge.

"David has worked very well in training. He is very fresh like a lot of the USA players having just started their season," said the 61-year-old. "The future is good for David - there is no problem."