Grant backs Terry as England skipper

Updated 09.30 Wed Mar 19 2008

Keywords: steven gerrard, fabio capello, john terry, avram grant, england, chelsea, football, sport

Chelsea manager Avram Grant believes John Terry should remain England captain.

Terry missed Fabio Capello's first match as England manager as he was recovering from a broken foot but he is expected to be available for the friendly against France.

"England needs him more than he needs England" - Avram Grant

Reports have claimed Capello is considering a change but Grant believes Terry is a key player for England and might have made the difference if he had been fit to play against Croatia in England's last Euro 2008 qualifier.

Grant said: "England needs him more than he needs England. It's not my decision on the captaincy, I'm not objective.

"You saw how they missed him against Croatia. Look at his leadership.

"A captain like him you will not find every day. If he'd played against Croatia, England, in my opinion, would be in the European Championships."

Grant added: "He's a great leader, so England don't need to change him. He understands very quickly what I believe. In football, the players need to be loyal to the fans because they were here before any player or manager and will stay after them, and he's loyal to the club."

If Capello decides to appoint a new captain, Steven Gerrard would be the favourite to take over.