Aaron Ramsey has been passed fit to captain Wales in Friday's World Cup qualifier against Macedonia.

The 22-year-old Arsenal midfielder has enjoyed a superb start to the season and, with the regular captain Ashley Williams ruled out by an ankle injury, Ramsey will be handed the armband for the second game in succession.

"It [the captaincy] was not a difficult decision to make with the way he has been playing this season," said the Wales manager, Chris Coleman. "He has got a knock, he came off for Arsenal at the weekend with a dead leg and we have been managing that. He will not train today but we expect him to be available for Friday night."

Williams was ruled out of the games against Macedonia and Belgium on Tuesday after undergoing a scan on the ankle ligament that has been troubling him and has led to him featuring in just one of Swansea's last six games.

Coleman suggested the 29-year-old is facing at least another couple of weeks on the sidelines. "We scanned him and it was clear he could not play," said Coleman. "Michael Laudrup said he had him on the bench at Southampton just as a number, and looking at the injury I can see that he was never going to play.

"But it was good to have him here and take a look for ourselves. I am not sure when he will be back, but I am not sure he will be back for the next two or three games after this international camp."

The West Ham United defender James Collins is set to start at the Cardiff City Stadium in place of Williams after settling his differences with Coleman.

The pair had been in dispute after the manager accused Collins of rejecting the chance to join up with the squad last month, having missed out on initial selection, something the player denied.

But the feud has been repaired following face-to-face talks at Collins' request on Wednesday and his return is timely with defenders Williams, Ben Davies, Sam Ricketts, Adam Matthews and Danny Gabbidon all absent.

Coleman said: "James called me when he finished training with West Ham, had a chat on the phone, but the chat we needed to have was across the table.

"He travelled down here, fair play to him, he told me where he was coming from and I told him where I was coming from and I have been public in what I have said. He thought he was being singled out, which he wasn't.

"I explained my reasons and he accepted that. He is here for a huge game, he is here and that is all we can ask. It doesn't mean we agree on everything, but the important thing is to move forward, and we can.

"He has his desire to play for Wales. If he didn't want to play he would not have travelled to talk to me and thrash it out. When we talked we weren't having a cuddle or a laugh and a joke, but he was here and we told each other what was on our minds."