Rio Ferdinand says Fabio Capello's decision to reinstate David Beckham as England captain is not a politically-motivated stunt, and insists he remains a genuine rival for the permanent captaincy of the team.

The Manchester United defender has been one of three players Capello has chosen to lead the side so far, along with John Terry and Steven Gerrard, while Beckham will lead out the team for tonight's friendly against Trinidad & Tobago in Port of Spain.

Beckham's selection has been widely interpreted as an attempt to add gloss to what might otherwise be a low-key encounter in the Caribbean, with political points perhaps to be scored with influential Jack Warner, Fifa's vice-president . Ferdinand and Terry are assumed to be the frontrunners for the permanent role, but the United captain says Beckham could still be a long-term candidate.

"Why not? The manager made it quite clear he was going to give it to people and see how they dealt with it and then he'd make his decision," Ferdinand said. "So if David's got it for this game then I'm sure he's in the running, so good luck to him.

"I've made it plain and clear that I'd like the job full-time, but having said that the players who have had it recently - JT (John Terry), myself, Steven Gerrard and now Becks - we've all been singing from the same hymn-sheet by saying we want to be captain and it would be a great honour."

Meanwhile, Ferdinand has urged caution over Sepp Blatter's plans for a quota of overseas players in club football.

The former West Ham United defender believes the influx of talent from abroad has been key to elevation of the English game, particularly in terms of improving technique and lifestyles.

But even Ferdinand admits there could be cause to promote the chances of English youngsters over foreigners.

"You don't want to see a subs' bench filled with foreign players and no English young players, that's when it becomes a concern for me," he said. "You should at least have some homegrown, talented players on the bench. That's why you have to pay tribute to people like Harry Redknapp and the manager at Manchester United [Sir Alex Ferguson].

"They've been given time and the resources and they've dared to put in the young players when they're kids. Myself, Frank Lampard, Jermain Defoe, Joe Cole and Michael Carrick - the list goes on. We came in and were given time to play and were backed by good chairmen."