Terry – No squad divide

John Terry insists none of the England squad has a problem with him being reinstated as permanent captain of the national team.

It has been suggested that Fabio Capello’s decision to replace Rio Ferdinand with Terry as captain had caused a divide in the squad.

Chelsea defender Terry has regained the armband just over a year after he was removed from the role following allegations he had an affair with the former girlfriend of ex-team-mate Wayne Bridge.

Terry insists no-one has spoken to him or Capello about the decision after the squad linked up for Saturday’s Euro 2012 qualifier with Wales.

“When the manager confronted the team on the training pitch (this morning to tell them of Terry’s reinstatement), he asked the players if they had any questions and nobody spoke. Nobody said a word to the manager, nobody said a word to me,” said Terry.

“I’m not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but it is the decision the manager has taken.

“Respect for the players around me and the manager has always been there.

“I think as a group of players we’re coming here looking forward to playing for our country and looking forward to putting on the shirt.”

Terry insists he never lost his passion for England when he lost the captaincy and he knows added pressure will come with regaining the armband.

“On a personal note I’m very delighted to get the armband back,” continued Terry.

“People can see that in me, people can see even when I did not have the armband my passion and drive was still there.”

Asked if he was ready for the pressure, he added: “Naturally, I’d expect nothing less. I know what is asked of me on the pitch and away from it.

“Maybe the manager looked into that as well, that I had kept my head down and concentrated on playing well for club and country.

“I’m certainly older (now), but wise as well. I’m fully fit as well so I’m very much looking forward to continuing staying fit and playing well.”

Ferdinand call

Terry confirmed that Ferdinand had contacted him to wish him well after his reinstatement as England captain.

“Rio called me which was a very nice touch and goes to show what a great man Rio is,” added Terry.

“We had a 10-minute conversation and he wished me well. He cares about England and said the most important thing was to keep winning.

“He was naturally disappointed, but said the most important thing was to keep winning.”

He added: “I feel for Rio. Even though I’ve got the armband back, I can see myself we’ve got leaders in the dressing room.

“The guys have still got a massive input in and around the dressing room.”

Disappointment

Terry admitted having the captaincy taken away from him in the first place was a major disappointment for him and he believes his hard work has paid off.

“I met Fabio and (England general manager) Franco (Baldini) on the day and accepted the decision.

“That doesn’t mean I agreed with it but I looked them both in the eye and said ‘you’ll get nothing less from me in training and on the field’.

“I was disappointed at the time but for me the most important thing was to concentrate on playing football.

“That was the relief for me, to work hard in training every day. I’ve worked very hard to get where I am today.

“I was disappointed initially but you have to move on. It (the disappointment) will be there for a long time but this shows if you keep working hard and never give up hope there’s always a chance.”