Fabio Capello has given his strongest hint yet that he is give the England armband back to John Terry - whether Rio Ferdinand likes it or not.
Capello is due to meet Ferdinand at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening as the prelude to a major decision about who should skipper his side in the Euro 2012 qualifier with Wales in Cardiff on March 26.
As Ferdinand is once again set to miss out with a calf problem, meaning he will still have only played four times since he inherited the job following Terry's well-publicised off-field issues last year, his position is a weak one.
Steven Gerrard will be missing too, only reinforcing Capello's belief he needs to make a decisive call.
And if it means annoying Ferdinand, the England boss will not be scared to do so.
"First of all I want to know what happened with Rio's back and when he will be fit because he is a really important player for us," said Capello.
"After that I will explain what I am going to do in the next week, if I will decide on a new captain or about John Terry or something else.
"Why will it be a difficult conversation? It is not because he is not a good captain.
"I will explain what happened in Denmark and what I think. I would understand if he is not happy. But I am the manager. I have to take decisions."
What happened in Denmark was, with Ferdinand and Gerrard again missing, Frank Lampard was skipper before Gareth Barry and Ashley Cole wore the armband in an unseemly game of pass the parcel as Terry, who was on the pitch throughout, looked on.
The Chelsea skipper was not impressed and, although he played down the topic at the time, neither was Capello.
And, although a formal announcement will not be made until the pre-match press conference 24 hours before the Wales encounter, it is difficult to see what other conclusion can be reached other than Terry getting his old job back.
"I don't want to pass the captain's armband around," said Capello.
"I was really upset about what happened in Denmark, when I saw the players saying who is the captain?
"After one year of punishment, it was not the best moment for John Terry to see this. For that reason I need to make a decision - and it will be a permanent decision, not just one game."
As Capello prepares to hand the armband back to Terry, he even appears to have forgiven the challenge to his authority the Chelsea man appeared to make during his candid press conference at the World Cup.
"I sacked him because I am old," laughed Capello.
"He was England captain, he is the Chelsea captain. He is also one of the most important players in the world.
"John Terry is old enough to understand the really important rule. Journalists are always looking for something. Little things are made into really big ones."
