Rio Ferdinand insists he will be fit for the World Cup

Ferdinand is positive he will be fit to play in South Africa

Manchester United and England centre-back Rio Ferdinand has dismissed fears that he will not be fit to play in next year's World Cup in South Africa.

The 31-year-old has been out of action with a calf injury since October.

Doubts have arisen over his long-term fitness, and England coach Fabio Capello has said that only fully fit players will make his World Cup squad.

"I'm confident I'll be fit. There's no question I'll be ready for next summer," vowed Ferdinand.

"It's the worst thing for a player to be injured and to be just watching your team, so I've been working hard in the gym to get fit.

"The treatment on my injury is going well. It's been quite slowly slowly but we're getting there.

"I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's been a tough and long lay-off for me because I have never been injured before."

Ferdinand's injury has been linked to a previous back problem but United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has denied that the defender's injury is long-term and believes he will soon be back in action.

However, no timescale has been set for his return.

Ferdinand, who was speaking at the launch of his Live the Dream charity foundation in London on Wednesday, has been seeing a specialist in the capital to try and speed up his recovery.