Injury-hit Ferdinand wary of his place in England World Cup squad

London, Oct 10 (ANI): Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand, who has suffered a string of injuries during recent months, has admitted that he is sweating over whether he will make it to the World Cup Finals.

Ferdinand knows boss Fabio Capello will show no mercy when he selects the 23 players to play in the World Cup next summer.

Ferdinand has played in only 18 of the last 40 games for United and England since March and featured in only two internationals in the last year.

"I'd be foolish to think no one would ask me the question about injuries. For the last 12 months, every now and again I've had to miss games through injuries. There hadn't been a period before that, so it's going to stand out," The Sun quoted Ferdinand, as saying.

"It's only right for him to be strict over the players' fitness. We need everyone firing on all cylinders. This manager is very black and white about that. We've ummed and aahed on too many players in previous tournaments but this manager doesn't work like that.

"He doesn't take anything for granted. If you're carrying an injury, there's a real doubt you'll get on the plane. He wouldn't allow a distraction like that. There have been distractions over the last few World Cups - whether they've been injuries or loads of other things," Ferdinand said.

Ferdinand also accepts that helping England reach South Africa is no guarantee of actually playing in the finals. (ANI)