Is it time for Ashley Cole to be made England captain?

Once again on the eve of a friendly England's squad has mysteriously been shorn of some of its biggest names. This time Steven Gerrard has followed Rio Ferdinand by withdrawing from the squad to face Denmark on Wednesday night. Ferdinand is out with a calf strain and Gerrard was forced to pull out after damaging his groin in Liverpool's 1-0 defeat of Chelsea on Sunday. The absence of the pair means coach Fabio Capello must appoint a new captain for the friendly in Copenhagen, but who exactly? Incredibly, Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is the favourite to get the nod even though for many he should be nowhere near the England team. The 31-year-old epitomises the underachievement of the so-called 'Golden Generation', that talented core of players – Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Wayne Rooney and Gerrard – who have promised so much and delivered so little on the international stage in the past decade. In last summer's World Cup Lampard once again was the shadow of the player he has been for Chelsea, a peripheral figure who looked like his mind was elsewhere. If England's cupboard of young talent wasn't so bare, Lampard would never wear the England shirt again but unfortunately it is and with Gerrard injured the Chelsea star may well celebrate winning his 84th cap by captaining his country against Denmark. The only factor that might count against Lampard in Capello's view is his fitness. Out injured with a hernia for the first four months of the season, Lampard hasn't impressed since his return to the Chelsea side playing with the same hesitancy that in the past he's reserved for England. But who else can Capello trust with the captaincy? Wayne Rooney has been mooted, that's the same Wayne Rooney who embarrassed himself and his country with his performance in last year's dismal World Cup (not forgetting his tirade to a camera against England fans). Rooney has scored just four league goals this season for Manchester United and exhibits the body language of  a man shorn of confidence. Burdening the 25-year-old with the England captaincy would be a crass mistake by Capello. Which leaves perhaps the strongest candidate in Ashley Cole. The Chelsea left-back was the best of a bad bunch in South Africa last June, a fact recognised yesterday when it was announced the 30-year-old had been voted England's Player of 2010 in an online poll conducted by the Football Association. Admittedly, that's not saying much considering it was arguably the worst year for the England national team since the early 1990s but at least Cole's consistent contributions for both club and country were appreciated by the fans. It wasn't so long ago that Cole was Public Enemy No1, a man viewed as greedy and arrogant who seemed more interested in partying than playing. But since splitting from Cheryl Cole last February, Cole has kept a lower profile though he still admitted he was surprised to beat Steven Gerrard and Adam Johnson to win the award. And he even managed to sound relatively humble - an achievement his detractors never thought possible. "It came as a big surprise to me," he said. "I never thought I would get this award with all the other players who were in the running. I never thought it would be me, but I'm very proud and thankful to the fans." Cole will become England's most capped full-back tomorrow night, surpassing Kenny Sansom's 86 caps, and Capello could do a lot worse by making him captain for the night. It would be an astonishing turnaround for a player who in the past has been roundly booed by England fans but Cole has matured with age and Capello should recognise the face. [ends]   ·