Rio Ferdinand out of Carling Cup final, in doubt for Egypt friendly
• 'He felt a twinge in his back this morning,' says manager
• Manchester United defender due to captain England next week
The Manchester United central defender Rio Ferdinand is out of the Carling Cup final against Aston Villa and is also likely to miss England's friendly against Egypt next Wednesday. Photograph: Hamish Blair/Getty Images
Rio Ferdinand will miss Sunday's Carling Cup final against Aston Villa at Wembley with a back injury, Manchester United's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, confirmed tonight.
The defender is also likely to miss next Wednesday's England friendly against Egypt, also at Wembley, where he was due to captain his country.
Ferdinand pulled out of tonight's 3-0 Premier League victory against West Ham United after "he felt a twinge in his back" earlier in the day, Ferguson said.
"He felt a twinge in his back this morning. We did a warm-up at Carrington this morning and he felt a twinge," said the United manager.
"We couldn't risk it of course. He's had twinges before and we can't take any chances. He won't be ready for Sunday. It is unfortunate for him that he's going to miss a couple of games."
Guardian