Steven Gerrard has shrugged off talk of divisions in the England dressing room as a result of John Terry's inclusion for Euro 2012.
Skipper insists England are united and focused on success
England captain Steven Gerrard has shrugged off talk of divisions in the dressing room as a result of John Terry's inclusion in the squad for Euro 2012.
Terry has been accused of racially abusing Rio Ferdinand's brother Anton in a game between Chelsea and QPR earlier this season, with the Blues captain set to stand trial after the Euros.
Manchester United defender Ferdinand was not included in Roy Hodgson's party for Poland and Ukraine, while Terry made the cut.
No divide
Gerrard, who has been given the skipper's armband on a permanent basis by Hodgson following Terry's yo-yo spell leading the side, insists the situation has not prompted any division of loyalties in the squad.
The Liverpool midfielder said: "It's false. We're united, we're together. We're all after the same thing, and that's a win.
"There's no divides. We'll make sure there's no divides because that's something that we don't need."
Gerrard added of Terry: "He is a fantastic lad and I'm sure he'll support me and get behind me.
"I haven't seen him or spoken to him. He's obviously still busy celebrating the Chelsea (Champions League) win."
The Reds skipper says he is proud to have been selected as skipper by Hodgson, who he worked for at Liverpool.
"It's nice to be named the official England captain, a fresh start with a new manager and everyone is really positive," he said.
On Hodgson, he added: "I got on fantastically well with him at Liverpool. He took the Liverpool job in difficult circumstances.
"The majority of our supporters wanted Kenny Dalglish in from day one and Roy had a tough job, but I can assure everyone he's a great manager, a winner and he can have a successful time as England manager."
Gerrard led England on their tortuous journey through the 2010 World Cup, when they failed to live up to expectations.
"It's something I have dreamed of since I was a young boy, and I want to be remembered as a successful captain," he said.
"We never performed at a good level in South Africa, but throughout qualifying we have shown we are a good team and have bounced back. We hope we can continue that form going into this tournament."
Gerrard also welcomed the inclusion of Liverpool team-mate Andy Carroll, adding: "He finished the season in scintillating form. He was unplayable for us.
"I'm hoping he can continue that form for England and, if he does, he'll be a big bonus for this squad."
Racism
The midfielder also spoke about potential racism problems damaging Euro 2012 following reports that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's family have joined Theo Walcott's relatives in missing the tournament for fear of being victims of racial abuse in Ukraine.
"I don't expect it (racism) and I hope all the countries have moved on from that,'' he said.
"We'll have to wait and see and it's something maybe UEFA have to address before the tournament.
"I'm hoping like everyone else that racism doesn't play a part in this tournament.
"It's a fantastic tournament and I hope it's about the tournament and not racism.''
