Fabio Capello has ruled out reappointing John Terry as England captain and Steven Gerrard will be skipper against Egypt.

Liverpool leader Gerrard to captain Three Lions against Egypt

Spirit and focus

Mental state

Fabio Capello has ruled out the possibility of reappointing John Terry as England captain and Steven Gerrard will skipper the side against Egypt on Wednesday. Chelsea star Terry was stripped of the armband in the wake of newspaper allegations about his private life and a reported affair with an ex-girlfriend of Wayne Bridge. Capello decided to change his on-field leader and promoted Rio Ferdinand from his role as vice-captain ahead of this summer's World Cup finals in South Africa. Ferdinand, though, has suffered an injury setback and will not play against Egypt at Wembley amid long-term concerns over the Manchester United defender's fitness. Those worries have led to suggestions that Terry could regain the captaincy at some point in the future, but Capello says that will not happen while he is boss and Liverpool's Gerrard will act as understudy to Ferdinand. When asked if Terry could return as skipper, the England manager told a press conference shown live onon Tuesday: "I think, no. Next captain will be Rio and for tomorrow the captain will be Steven Gerrard."Capello has also been encouraged by the response of his players following the torrent of headlines regarding Terry and Bridge, who has made himself unavailable for England, and Ashley Cole. The Italian said: "I spoke with the players and said they have to recreate the spirit of the team and train with focus. "I'm really happy because I saw the same thing as in November (in the friendly against Brazil in Doha)." There are fears of a fans' backlash against Terry at Wembley, but Capello has joined striker Wayne Rooney in urging spectators not to give the 29-year-old a rough time. "I think the fans have to support every moment," he said. "You have to understand that privately some players were not so good, but on the pitch it is different. "We wear the England shirt and it is really important they help us every moment. I hope that tomorrow the crowd help us and do not boo him."On Terry's mental state ahead of the game, Capello added: "He is training very well. He will be the same player in the dressing room. I told him you have to do the same things as a captain." Capello also defended Terry's performances against Inter Milan last week and against Manchester City on Saturday. He said: "I saw the two games he played in Milan and at home to Manchester City. He played his normal game, but always, when the player's team loses, the journalists try to find something about the most important player. I think he played very well in the two games." Meanwhile, Capello is expecting a difficult match against African Cup of Nations champions Egypt. "We hope to play very well and we invite the fans to help us," he said. "It's not easy to win the African Nations Cup three times if you are not a good team. I watched Egypt's games and it is a really, really good team. They are dangerous, they are really well organised on the pitch who know what to do in every moment. "I think it will be a really interesting test for us."