Popular ex-Albion defender Darren Moore calls for Fabio Capello to select Ledley King as Rio Ferdinand’s replacement in the heart of England’s defence.

To lose a player of the calibre of Rio Ferdinand on the eve of the World Cup would be a crisis for most countries – but not England.

Of course, the knee injury last Friday which ruled skipper Rio out of the tournament came as a blow to Fabio Capello’s team preparations.

But the England coach can count himself fortunate that he has a player of Ledley King’s class to call upon.

Forget all the talk of Ledley’s injury record, as a centre-back myself I can tell you he is one of the best in the business.

Immaculate is the most fitting word I would use to describe him – he just oozes quality whether it’s in the air, playing a pass or timing a tackle.

You can see why Fabio Capello has drafted him back into the squad at such a late stage because he has two key ingredients – experience and class.

He was given his chance in the game against Mexico and he grabbed it with both hands – even scoring a goal – and that seems to have propelled him ahead of Matthew Upson in the pecking order.

I rate Upson as a defender too but Ledley has the edge when it comes to experience – and in a big tournament like this that is so, so important.

With Rio out, there’s extra responsibility on the shoulders of England’s older players and that’s another area I think the Tottenham defender excels.

The great thing England have going for them at this tournament is they have no shortage of ‘captains’ in their team.

Along with new skipper Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Frank Lampard, David James, Wayne Rooney and Ledley are all the sort of influential figures you need out there on the pitch when the heat is really on.

Then, off the field, you have the likes of David Beckham and Stuart Pearce in the dressing room.

You really couldn’t ask for more.

It is an older England team but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing – just look at how Italy’s veterans prospered in 2006.

This is also a team that has suffered a lot of disappointments in knock-out games in the big competitions over the last decade – and I’m sure those experiences will only make them more determined.

Make no mistake, there will be a lot of very determined, driven guys in that dressing room – because for many of them this is their last shot.