Coach Capello's snub of Owen a warning to all England soccer stars: Ferdinand

London, Apr.1 (ANI): England football star Rio Ferdinand has said that the ruthless manner in which Fabio Capello has discarded Michael Owen has taught England's stars that any cap they win may be their last.

Capello's mantra is simple. If you are not fit, or not playing well, you are out.nd Ferdinand believes that is just as it should be - however much it may hurt the Newcastle striker.

But, as England prepared to tackle Ukraine at Wembley tonight, Ferdinand spelled out how the striker's omission has kept everyone on their toes.

He said: "There can be no complacency in this squad. Look at Michael Owen, who has got 40 goals in 89 appearances.

"You sit down sometimes and say to yourself 'So and so has a chance of getting to 50 caps, he has a chance of getting to 75'. And you would have said Michael was bang on to get 100 caps two or three years ago and it would be given he'd be in every squad when he was fit.

"But this manager sees things from a different angle. If you're not fit enough, or you're not on form, you won't get in the squad. Rightly so. erdinand pointed to Capello's managerial track record as the reason why his decisions cannot be questioned - six Serie A titles in Italy, two La Ligas in Spain and a Champions League crown speak for themselves.

He added: "Look at what the manager has won. You don't win what he has by having a lot of sentiment.

Ferdinand admitted even he got concerned when he was ruled out of last Saturday's Slovakia friendly through injury and Matthew Upson impressed in his place

He said: "All I was thinking about during the game was that someone else was getting an opportunity to stake their claim. (ANI)