Rio Ferdinand, England captain. To some, these are four words that do not belong in the same sentence, but, as Fabio Capello casts around in search of a man to lead his team on the pitch, the Manchester United defender appears as logical a candidate as any.

The position, after all, is up for grabs, with Capello having made clear that he will be holding auditions for the role, which was held by John Terry during Steve McClaren’s reign. In Terry’s absence, Steven Gerrard wore the armband for Capello’s first game in charge, the friendly against Switzerland last month, and struggled to convince the Italian of his leadership qualities. Terry was expected to be given his turn against France tomorrow evening, but instead Capello has turned to Ferdinand – and, while at least one my fellow journalists at lunch here in Paris expressed alarm at the announcement, I am quickly warming to the idea.

The usual case against Ferdinand is that he is immature, arrogant and more interested in partying than in football. There is also a dubious past – a couple of brushes with the law in his early days as a professional, that eight-month ban for missing a drugs test in 2003 and, more recently, his reported involvement in the infamous United Christmas party that brought such shame on the club just over three months ago.

But, overlooking that Christmas party incident – which saw Sir Alex Ferguson fine not just Ferdinand but all the players present, including such model professionals as Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs – the defender is a far more mature player these days.

Mature enough? We shall see, but, at 29, this could be the challenge that inspires him to reach new heights as a player.

Ferdinand is an individual who always seems to respond better to a challenge. There was a time not so long ago when he appeared to be stuck in a comfort zone with United and England, but, having briefly been dropped by Sven-Goran Eriksson, he responded impressively to win back his place with the national team. He was arguably England’s best player at the last World Cup finals and for the past 18 months has been almost impeccable alongside Nemanja Vidic in the United defence, frequently as captain.

Others see Ferdinand differently, but Capello, arriving in England with a clean slate and a fresh perspective, has been impressed by the player and by the man. Some will talk up the claims of Terry, but he cannot claim to be squeaky-clean on or off the pitch. And is he playing well enough at present to be considered a long-term bet alongside Ferdinand at the heart of the England defence? Gerrard? Too introverted for Capello’s liking. Michael Owen? He is struggling even to persuade the manager he is worth a place in the team, let alone as captain. Ultimately, Ferdinand might not be the answer, but he is a potential answer, one worth exploring tomorrow night at the Stade de France.

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