Rio Ferdinand has been ruled out of Sunday's Carling Cup final
between Manchester United and Aston Villa and seems unlikely to be
fit to captain England against Egypt at Wembley next week.
The Red Devils defender had been expected to play in the 3-0
win over West Ham after a recent suspension.
However, Sir Alex Ferguson claimed the 31-year-old felt a
problem in his troublesome back on Tuesday morning which now means
another spell on the sidelines.
"He tweaked his back in training and he won't be ready for
Sunday," said Ferguson.
"It is unfortunate for him that he's going to miss a couple
of games."
Aside from missing a major Wembley showpiece, it also looks
likely to cost Ferdinand the chance to lead his country into their
final friendly before Fabio Capello names his provisional World Cup
squad given Ferguson is determined not to take any risks with the
former West Ham star.
"Rio has been training great too," said Ferguson.
"There have been no mishaps at all. But when you get these
twinges you can't take a chance."
