John Terry has no doubts his schoolboy friendship with Ledley King will ensure England's defence will be watertight for their World Cup opener against the United States on Saturday.

With Rio Ferdinand ruled out of the tournament and bound for home early next week, Capello has to choose another central defensive partner for his former captain.

And, although he rarely trains, it seems King is going to get the nod.

Under normal circumstances, forging any kind of relationship would be impossible given King's chronic knee condition forces him to do most of his fitness work in the gym.

But Terry is able to draw on a shared experience at the famed Senrab Boys Club as the basis for a partnership he insists will work.

"In a football sense I always had an understanding with him," said the Chelsea star.

"We used to get told off all the time for talking and get sent around the running pitch in training.

"But have kept in touch ever since and followed each other's careers.

"He really is a Rolls Royce of a player and I still could not tell you if he is right or left-footed. He has great feet and is a joy to play alongside.

"People say that he does not train but he still does a lot of gym work and swimming and a lot of short sharp stuff which keeps his fitness.

"And you can walk through stuff and have a chat about things after training. His fitness levels have impressed me and I don't think it will be a problem."