Rio plays down captaincy talk

Rio Ferdinand won't let ongoing speculation about the England captaincy distract him from his longstanding focus on silverware.

The United defender is tipped as a strong contender to become Fabio Capello's permanent skipper, but he insists he would not be disappointed if the Italian opted to hand the armband to another contender.

"A lot of people have been talking about it (the captaincy) but it is not the be all and end all for me," he told Sky Sports News. "I go out and play for my team and try to win trophies."

Ferdinand repeatedly skippered United during last season's Double campaign, while the likes of Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and John O'Shea also led the Reds for at least one game. In Rio's eyes, having so many potential leaders together can render the armband obsolete.

"I've said many times that the more captains you have on the pitch the better it is for the team," he said. "At United last season we had a lot of captains no matter who wore the armband, so if that can transpire to the England team then great."