John Terry insisted on Tuesday that he has the backing of the squad after being controversially reinstated as England captain.
The Chelsea defender was stripped of the captaincy 13 months ago following allegations of an affair with Vanessa Peroncell, the former girlfriend of his then international team-mate Wayne Bridge. She continues to deny the claims.
Terry replaces Rio Ferdinand in a move that has caused consternation, given Terry's reputation as a divisive figure.
Speaking at a press conference previewing England's Euro2012 meeting with Wales on Saturday, he admitted he was "not everyone's cup of tea".
But he insisted the players were united behind him. "It is the decision the manager has taken," Terry said.
"Respect for the players around me and the manager has always been there. When the manager confronted the team on the training pitch, he asked the players if they had any questions and nobody spoke. Nobody said a word to the manager, nobody said a word to me."
Terry also revealed Ferdinand had telephoned him to wish him well.
"Rio called me which was a very nice touch and goes to show what a great man Rio is," he said.
"We had a 10-minute conversation. He cares about England and said the most important thing was to keep winning. He was naturally disappointed, but said the most important thing was to keep winning."
"I feel for Rio. Even though I've got the armband back, I can see myself we've got leaders in dressing room. The guys have still got a massive input in and around the dressing room."
The Chelsea defender was stripped of the captaincy 13 months ago following allegations of an affair with Vanessa Peroncell, the former girlfriend of his then international team-mate Wayne Bridge. She continues to deny the claims.
Terry replaces Rio Ferdinand in a move that has caused consternation, given Terry's reputation as a divisive figure.
Speaking at a press conference previewing England's Euro2012 meeting with Wales on Saturday, he admitted he was "not everyone's cup of tea".
But he insisted the players were united behind him. "It is the decision the manager has taken," Terry said.
"Respect for the players around me and the manager has always been there. When the manager confronted the team on the training pitch, he asked the players if they had any questions and nobody spoke. Nobody said a word to the manager, nobody said a word to me."
Terry also revealed Ferdinand had telephoned him to wish him well.
"Rio called me which was a very nice touch and goes to show what a great man Rio is," he said.
"We had a 10-minute conversation. He cares about England and said the most important thing was to keep winning. He was naturally disappointed, but said the most important thing was to keep winning."
"I feel for Rio. Even though I've got the armband back, I can see myself we've got leaders in dressing room. The guys have still got a massive input in and around the dressing room."
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