And secretly he is hoping to be made head boy when Capello names his captain tomorrow for the match against Switzerland at Wembley.

Sir Alex Ferguson last week insisted his central defender would make a good captain of the national side and with John Terry injured Capello has made it clear that he intends naming his skipper on a match to match basis before choosing a permanent skipper before the World Cup qualifiers begin in September.

Ferdinand said: "Everyone playing football would say it was a fantastic honour to captain their country. At present the man with the armband is John Terry, who has done a great job for club and country.

"But if anyone was asked if they would do the job I don't think you would get too many people saying 'No, it's not really for me.' It is the pinnacle of anyone's career to captain your country.

"It is the stuff of dreams. But more importantly if we can get 11 captains out there on the pitch, people who are assertive and lead from the front, then we will have an opportunity to win things.

"Having a captain is great but the more leaders out on the pitch the better. The team ethic will be part of us becoming a successful team."

At 29 Ferdinand is an England veteran with 64 caps.

But he admitted to bubbling with excitement when the team met up on Sunday night for their first face-to-face with Capello and his Italian back-room staff.

The squad trained this morning and were due to do so again at Wembley tonight, which is a departure from their routine under previous regimes.

According to Ferdinand, Capello was half hands-on and half in an observing role. And his English?

"He got his points across well," said Ferdinand. "I've been pleasantly surprised. He's talked to us as a team on and off the training ground in English and was very good.

"He's very observant and puts his point across when he needs to. He knows what he wants.

"Everybody's intrigued and excited to see what new ideas there are going to be and if they are any different from what we have been taught in the past. We enjoyed it."

One of those ideas was as simple as everybody being told to arrive and leave at the same time for breakfast.

Ferdinand described it as "bonding" and added: "We're all like schoolkids, sucking up all the information he's got in a bid to make us a better team.

"We had a session this morning which went very well and was very enjoyable.

"We were put through our paces and are looking forward to the next one.

"Inevitably there is going to be a difference - there are different cultures and hopefully we can get a good blend.

"But the new manager has new ideas and hopefully the knowledge and success he has achieved can make us a successful team."

Ferdinand warned fans not to expect too much, too soon, but admitted that England's underachieving players needed fresh impetus and would thrive on the new challenge.

He said: "We haven't been successful so we are open to any new ideas of the manager.

"It's a chance for all of us to hit him between the eyes and make sure we become a part of his current plans."

Ferdinand is sure the Wembley crowd, despite an antipathy towards Manchester United players in the squad in the past, will respect the minute's silence for the victims of the Munich air disaster ahead of Wednesday's game.

He said: "I'm sure the fans will respect it - it's a poignant moment and we've got fantastic fans in this country.

"It's not just about Manchester United, it's about English football as well."

He also knows that after the misery of missing out on Euro 2008 with defeat against Croatia England need to provide a winning start to Capello's reign.

He said: "We owe the fans and ourselves a lot. We've flattered to deceive for a few years and not produced what people expect us to produce. We need to put that right.

"We're on a journey towards the World Cup and we need to make sure we are well equipped.

"Coming to Wembley gets an extra 10-20% out of teams and it's an opportunity for Switzerland to beat England at the start of a new regime. We'll do our utmost to get a positive result."