BAND LEADER; INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES: Capello picks Rooney to be his field marshall and tips him to be a legend.

Byline: Alan Marshall

WAYNE ROONEY will be England's skipper tonight because Fabio Capello rates him potentially one of the all-time greats.

Rooney was catapulted into the role against Brazil when John Terry became the latest victim of the injury curse that has now struck down nine first-choice players, including Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

Terry's ankle knock means 24-year-old Manchester United ace Rooney will be the third youngest English captain since the end of World War Two when he leads the team out in the Khalifa Stadium.

Only Bobby Moore, 22 when he led Alf Ramsey's side for the first time, and Michael Owen, who was a month older when skippering Sven Goran Eriksson's side against Paraguay in the build-up to the 2002 World Cup, have had the honour at a younger age than the Old Trafford star.

And Capello, set to give make-or-break chances to Darren Bent, Gary Cahill and Wayne Bridge, believes Rooney has the aura of leadership that was carried by the all-time legends of the game. The Italian said:"When you choose some players to be a captain, they have to be a leader in the dressing room or on the pitch.

"For me, that's really important - and Rooney is always a leader on the pitch. He is less so in the dressing roombecause he's young.

"My first captain is John Terry and the vice-captain is Rio because they are really good on the pitch and really good in the dressing room.

"We are missing a lot of players and need one leader on the pitch, so for this reason I chooseWayne.

"It is a straightforward decision for me. I don't see why not.

"I remember the best players in the world - Pele, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Platini, Maradona - were all captains, no? "They scored goals, so why not? I don't understand why not.

"You have to be a leader on the pitch. All the best players were captains. They were also captains of the national teams."

The game was designed as a dress rehearsal for what could happen in South Africa next summer, a chance for England to show against Brazil they are serious World Cup contenders. But now it's more a case of giving fringe players their chance.

After all, the likelihood is only two of the men on duty - Gareth Barry and Rooney - will be walking out to start England's first game in June.

Capello said: "When these players play with their clubs, they play very well always but sometimes when they play in the Champions League or the Europa League, they are not the same. Now I want to understand what happens when they play against one of the best teams in the world."

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TRAINING ROOTINE: Wayne Rooney, second from left, training with Michael Carrick, Peter Crouch and Gareth Barry, has impressed boss Fabio Capello, below