Rio cautious about England hype

Rio Ferdinand has refused to get carried away by England's successful start to their World Cup qualification campaign under Fabio Capello.

The Italian was appointed England manager just under a year ago with the team in the doldrums following their failure to qualify for Euro 2008. However, Capello has led the team to the top of their qualification group for the 2010 World Cup with a 100% record.

But the Manchester United captain remains cautious about the hype and said: "We've seen that before. With every single manager since I've been an England player we have had a good start."

He added: "Everybody's said: 'We're going to be brilliant, there's a fantastic future ahead and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel'.

"Then six months down the line, everyone's calling for the manager's head, saying: 'He's not the right man and the players aren't good enough'.

"I take every day as it comes."

The 30-year-old also revealed it was Capello's status as a "winner" that lies behind England's improvement.

"The difference with this man is that he's been a winner from day one as a player and as a manager," Ferdinand continued.

"It's either his way or the highway and that's what I really like."