Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand's England future is in doubt after his omission by Fabio Capello last night. The Daily Express says Ferdinand's England future is now in serious doubt after an international career that has seen him accumulate 81 caps.

Centre-back Ferdinand lost the captaincy earlier in the year due to his poor injury record and has now been handed another body blow by not being considered among the best defenders in the country for a game in which England must avoid defeat to reach next summer's finals.

Ferdinand started on the substitutes' bench for United's 2-0 victory over Norwich at the weekend, coming on for the final 13 minutes, but had been in Sir Alex Ferguson's starting line-up for the previous two matches.

His performance in United's 3-3 draw with Basle last Tuesday was uncharacteristically shaky, however, and his form has counted against him. Capello overlooked Ferdinand for the September matches against Bulgaria and Wales on account of his lack of match fitness, but this latest decision is a major call.