Copenhagen, Denmark (Sporting Alert) — Chelsea’s Frank Lampard has been handed the England captain armband for Wednesday’s international friendly with Denmark in Copenhagen.
Head coach Fabio Capello announced the selection at a press conference Tuesday – the same time he stated the Darren Bent could also start as the forward.
Lampard had been the heavy favourite to skipper the side, after regular skipper Rio Ferdinand and his associate Steven Gerrard both suffered injuries at the weekend.
Ferdinand was ruled out with a groin injury he suffered before Manchester United’s game with Wolves on Saturday, while Gerrard missed the game due to a groin injury he picked up playing 90 minutes in Liverpool’s win over Chelsea on Sunday.
“Denmark always produced good teams and we are expecting a tough game,” Lampard said ahead of the clash. “It is very important to get the team together and have a winning habit ahead of the qualifiers.”
Speaking about Jack Wilshere making his full debut for his country, Lampard said: “I am very impressed with Jack Wilshere. I am sure he will be a big player for England for years to come.”
Chelsea’s Ashley Cole, meanwhile, will make history on Wednesday when he becomes England’s most capped full-back. He will beat Kenny Sansom’s record of 86 caps.
Capello, in the meantime, is confident that Bent will make a fourth international start and his first since being omitted from Capello’s World Cup squad, is now ready for the big stage.
“I have watched two games he has played for Villa,” Capello said. “When he was with Sunderland he played a different style because the manager asked him to stay close to the box and be fresh to score goals, but now he runs a lot more, presses a lot, because the team play with a different style.
“He played well before but if you want to play with the seniors at this moment you have to be good when you go forward but also when you have to win the ball back and I think he has improved a lot.”
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