Leeds manager David O'Leary has appointed centre-back Rio Ferdinand as the club's long-term captain. Ferdinand took over the captain's armband towards the end of last season after the regular skipper, Lucas Radebe, suffered injuries to both his knees, which ruled him out of the final three months of the season, and his stand-in, Republic of Ireland international Gary Kelly, lost his place in the first team to Danny Mills.
O'Leary opted to give the 22-year-old £18m signing the opportunity to lead the club and he did not disappoint, with England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson even declaring him an England captain of the future.
Although Ferdinand was thrilled to take over the role last season, he never thought he would be awarded the job on a full-time basis. "It was nice to be given a flavour of it last season, but I never envisaged being skipper of the club so soon - or even at all. I'm delighted to be honest," he said.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
