BARCELONA, September 5, 2008 (AFP) - Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has been ruled out of England's opening World Cup 2010 qualifier against Andorra here on Saturday after failing to recover from a back injury.

Coach Fabio Capello said he was unsure whether or not Ferdinand would be fit for Wednesday's crunch clash against Croatia in Zagreb.

In the absence of the United stalwart, skipper John Terry is likely to be partnered at the heart of the defence by either Matthew Upson or Joleon Lescott.