Rio Ferdinand has told Fabio Capello he is ready to be used as an emergency centre-forward against Ukraine tonight should the injury jinx strike the front line again.

The England coach saw Emile Heskey, Carlton Cole and Peter Crouch all go off injured during the 4-0 win over Slovakia on Saturday, while the Italian's initial choice for a replacement, Darren Bent, has left the squad with a knee problem.

Crouch starts, having recovered from a leg injury and the recently called up Gabriel Agbonlahor will be the only cover on the bench — so Ferdinand has offered to be a back-up striker.

The Manchester United defender said: “I've always said to previous England managers that I'm a sleeping giant as a forward. If ever they need it, I can go up there.

“I will be happy to go up front against Ukraine if required but we have so many capable players and hopefully I won't be needed.”

Most of the talk surrounding Ukraine has centred on the return of Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko, who is on loan at AC Milan. But Ferdinand has warned that Ukraine are not simply a one-man team and added: “We know they have a lot of talent, not just Shevchenko.

“They went to the quarter-finals of the last World Cup and that speaks volumes about them.
“Their captain, Anatoliy Tymoschuk, will be a real danger to us. He is a holding midfielder but he gets them going. Then there is Andriy Voronin, who is having a good season at Hertha Berlin after leaving Liverpool on loan.

“He is a talented footballer and can do something out of the ordinary so we have to be on our toes with people like that.”

Tonight is the first time Shevchenko and Voronin will play in England since their ill‑fated spells in the Premier League.

However, Ukraine coach Alexei Mikhailichenko has warned the forwards not to let proving a point get in the way of the team's chances of causing a shock. He said: “I feel it would be a mistake for any player to try and start the game hoping they can prove some experts wrong and show them he is better than they think. It's a very wrong approach. He has to show that to himself.”

However, Mikhailichenko admits he has used both players' inside knowledge of England in the hope of getting an advantage.

Shevchenko spent two years playing with England trio John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole at Chelsea, while Voronin knows Steven Gerrard's talents well after 12 months at Anfield.

Mikhailichenko added: “The experience of both Shevchenko and Voronin will definitely help because they spent such a long time understanding English football.

“They know so many players having both worked and trained with them. We had a conversation with Andriy and he gave me particular characteristics of certain Chelsea players.

“The more information you have, the more chance you have to choose the right tactics. His knowledge has helped me.”

Capello's only selection dilemma tonight is whether to pick Aaron Lennon or David Beckham to start on the right wing, but he is likely to favour the Tottenham winger with the latter expected to come on in the second half.