Rio: 'We want Harry'

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has backed Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp to be the next England manager.

Following Fabio Capello's resignation from the national team post on Wednesday, Ferdinand expressed his preference for the appointment of an Englishman, hinting the Italian's language difficulties were an issue during his spell in charge.

"I think we need an English manager now, we don't need anything else lost in translation," Ferdinand said on Twitter.

"Harry Redknapp would be my choice by a distance."

Ferdinand is not the only United player to air his views on the future of the England team since Capello's resignation.

Wayne Rooney also backed Redknapp as the man for the job, and Michael Owen agreed Capello's successor should be English.

Last week, Ferdinand ruled himself out of the running to replace John Terry as England captain after the Chelsea skipper was stripped of the honour.

Terry faces a court hearing in July after being accused of using racist language to insult Ferdinand's brother Anton.

Ferdinand remains unhappy over losing the captaincy back to Terry, who was stripped of the role in February 2010, only to be reinstated 13 months later.

"I don't want to be England captain after the last episode, just want to concentrate on playing for United and if I make the squad then as ever I'll be delighted," Ferdinand said earlier this week.