England defender Ledley King is confident that he can be the man to fill in for injured captain Rio Ferdinand during the World Cup, despite fears over his own fitness.

The Tottenham centre-back can only train up to twice a week due to an ongoing knee injury, raising concerns that he will not be able to endure the stresses of the World Cup, where he may need to play seven games in a month.

"The medical team and facilities here are second to none and with the right support I can definitely do it," the 29-year-old told a news conference at the team's Rustenburg base on Sunday.

"The swelling and pain can be uncomfortable but I've shown this season that I can play games in quick succession," he added.

King is favourite to fill in for Ferdinand, who was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a knee injury during a collision with striker Emile Heskey while training on Friday.

The Manchester United defender has been replaced in the squad by Tottenham's Michael Dawson, who arrived in South Africa on Saturday.

Spurs captain King is under pressure quickly to form an understanding with centre-back partner John Terry before their opening game against the United States on June 12.

King spends most of his time in the gym and swimming pool, severely reducing the amount of time available to forge a defensive partnership, but believes the pair's experience will make up for lack of pre-match practice.

"We're not going to have much time regardless of me training only once or twice a week, but I've known John for a long time and he's very experienced, as am I.

"He's a great communicator on the pitch and communication is key. If that's good then you've got a good chance," he added.

The centre-back thanked manager Fabio Capello for allowing him to stick to the Tottenham training routine which enabled him start 20 Premier League games for his club this season, seven more than Ferdinand.

"The medical team, the manager have allowed me to do what I normally do. I couldn't ask for any more than that," he said.

Capello is expected to play King for 45 minutes in tomorrow's warm-up game against local team Platinum All-Stars and is banking on the defender's powers of recuperation.

"Monday to Saturday shouldn't be a problem for me," King claimed. "However many minutes I get I believe I will be ready if needed on Saturday."

The London-born defender had sympathy for Ferdinand, despite the personal opportunity which the captain's injury has presented him.

"Obviously my first reaction was disappointment for Rio, as a friend and team-mate I felt for him," he said.

"He was going to captain the side. Any player would be disappointed to miss out on the World Cup and he's very disappointed at the moment but he's going to stick around and show his support," he added.

Ferdinand will stay in South Africa to watch Saturday's game before flying home to work on his injury.

England will have noted the USA's 3-1 friendly win against Australia and will be wary of their first opponents, particularly with the twin issues of altitude and a much-talked about new ball creating some concern at home.

King conceded the new ball was behaving unusually but claimed the team weren't unduly concerned by that, or the altitude.

"The balls are difficult. They're swerving quite a bit at the last minute but we're all in the same position.

"Training at altitude is different, but it's one of those things, and it is the same for everyone," he added.

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