England coach Fabio Capello is seriously considering making Liverpool ace Steven Gerrard his permanent captain.
Rio Ferdinand has already been ruled out as skipper of Manchester United by manager Alex Ferguson.
Now Three Lions boss Capello is ready to follow suit, preferring to select a leader who is regularly playing rather than one battling against injury.
An FA insider last night explained: "Steven Gerrard has done really well since taking over the armband from Rio at the World Cup.
"He's shown he is a real leader both on and off the pitch.
"And Steven's recent performances have been truly inspirational, he's been brilliant.
"He has really responded to the responsibility of being made captain. So it will be hard for Fabio to take the captaincy away from him now.
"He has seen Sir Alex take the armband away at United because of his concerns over Rio's repeated injuries. And Rio might well find the same thing now happens at England.
"So while he might be recalled for the Euro qualifier against Montenegro on October 12, there is no guarantee he will automatically return as captain."
