• John Terry’s club and country managers back defender
• Fabio Capello may wait to name new permanent captain

Fabio Capello is sure that John Terry will not retire from international football despite being stripped of the England captaincy by the Football Association. The head coach may also appoint a temporary captain for England’s next game, the friendly against Holland later this month, before deciding on a long-term replacement, with Glen Johnson, Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry among those in line behind the Italian’s current favourite, Steven Gerrard.

After Terry was stood down from the captaincy by the FA on Friday morning, the prospect was raised of the Chelsea captain walking away from international football completely. But Capello is confident that this would be anathema to Terry, believing that he will wish to continue playing for England despite now having lost the armband twice.

Terry was removed from the role by the Italian in February 2010 due to revelations about his personal life. The head coach has drawn on how Terry played on after that incident as well as his knowledge of the defender’s resolute attitude to conclude that Terry will not quit.

Regarding his replacement the vice-captain Gerrard is the natural successor and provided he stays fit and continues to play regularly for Liverpool after a prolonged injury lay-off the midfielder should lead England against Holland on 29 February.

Capello also has Barry and Lampard in mind, though he is conscious that the latter is no longer a regular starter for Chelsea, and neither he nor the Manchester City midfielder are automatic choices since Scott Parker’s emergence. However, the Italian still admires both players and with Wayne Rooney banned from the first two matches of Euro 2012, and with a three-month gap until England’s next match after the Dutch friendly, against Norway in Oslo, Capello may wait until then to assess fitness and form regarding before deciding who will lead England in Ukraine and Poland.

While Parker and Johnson also have outside chances of being made captain, Capello is yet to speak publicly about the removal of Terry and the fact that the decision was taken over his head by the 12-member FA Council. He may well do so before England next meet up in around three weeks to clear the air ahead of the Holland friendly though if Terry does play on the issue of team unity is bound to linger.

Rio Ferdinand, Anton’s older brother, spoke for the first time since Terry lost the captaincy on Saturday stating that he was unconcerned whether the Chelsea defender played or not in Sunday’smatch against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

There had been speculation over whether Ferdinand would shake his fellow England centre-half’s hand now Terry has been charged of making a racial slur at Anton, a charge he will deny at Westminster magistrates’ court on 9 July. But a knee injury has ruled Terry out of the game and Ferdinand said: “I couldn’t care less if he played or not. I just think about playing for Manchester United and winning the game. I let the media talk about it, go on about it and create the storm. We are footballers. That is where we are best. That is where we enjoy being. The result and the performance of our team against theirs was definitely the most important thing for me.”

Of the furore’s effect on his brother, Ferdinand said: “Anton is my little brother. We have grown up together and I have looked after him when we were kids. If something is going to affect him and hurt him, I am always there as a shoulder to lean on. In moments like this, when things are so public and you can’t really say anything, it can be frustrating.

“For my family, yes, it has been tough. My brother has not brought any accusations to anyone. He is not the accused. But he has had to sit there and take abuse from some small-minded people, which has been very disappointing.”

Meanwhile, André Villas-Boas suggested that Terry’s capacity apparently to thrive on adversity has in a perverse way suited Chelsea, and the manager sees no reason why the same would not apply to England, should Capello continue to select the centre-back. “For us, we benefit,” the Portuguese said. “Hopefully for his country it will continue to be the same. I’m not saying it fuels him, that he needs negativity, but he has been outstanding.”

John TerryFabio CapelloEnglandChelseaJamie Jackson
guardian.co.uk

• Paris St-German manager not interested in the Spain striker
• ‘I have received hundreds of phone calls offering me players’

Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that he did not wish to cause embarrassment to Chelsea over his reported claims that he has been offered the chance to sign Fernando Torres at his new club Paris St-Germain.

The manager, who was dismissed by Chelsea at the end of last season, has the wealth of PSG’s Qatari backers at his disposal and he stands to be a serious player in the winter transfer market. Agents across Europe have that sense and they have bombarded him with proposals, with some fixers telling him that they could get Torres for him, if he so wished.

It is doubtful that Ancelotti would want to be reunited the striker who struggled so badly under him at Stamford Bridge over the second half of last season, following his £50m arrival from Liverpool.

The suggestion that Torres is being hawked around the market does not bother the hierarchy at Chelsea as they are reassured that the overtures have not come from Antonio Sanz, the player’s official agent. The club continue to insist that, despite his poor goals return, Torres is not for sale, and the absence of Didier Drogba at the African Cup of Nations, possibly until the middle of February, would appear to make Torres’s departure this month even less likely.

It is difficult, though, to second-guess how Chelsea would react if an enormous offer were to come in for Torres.

“I have received hundreds of phone calls from agents offering me players ever since I signed with PSG,” Ancelotti said. “They have offered me some incredible names. Players who have just signed spectacular contracts elsewhere. They all want to come here. There’s the city of Paris, there’s money and there’s a coach with a good reputation.”

Ancelotti has not tended to talk publicly about other clubs’ players and he has indicated to Chelsea that he did not do so about Torres.

The Italian did admit he had hoped to return to management with Tottenham Hotspur or Arsenal at the end of the current season, after the break of a year. He had been touted as the potential successor to Harry Redknapp at Tottenham, in the event of Redknapp taking over the England team after Euro 2012 from Fabio Capello. But Ancelotti grew restless.

“I was keen on a year-long sabbatical, hoping that in the summer a job like Tottenham or Arsenal – a top London bench – would become available, but I was tired of not working,” he said.

Carlo AncelottiFernando TorresChelseaParis St-GermainDavid Hytner
guardian.co.uk

• Italian on verge of signing two-and-a-half-year contract
• Former Chelsea manager will earn about £5m a year

Carlo Ancelotti is on the verge of returning to football at Paris St-Germain. The Ligue