London, Feb.8 : England football team coach Fabio Capello has given sacked captain John Terry a huge World Cup boost by saying that he remains a key part of his England future.

Just 48 hours after sacking Terry from the captaincy during crisis talks in his office at Wembley, Capello gave a clear endorsement of the 29-year-old as a player.

The Mirror quoted Capello, as saying: "This is now over, it is finished. It is time to move on. But John Terry is still an important player for England. He is one of the most important players for England."

Capello, who flew back from Poland last night after England were drawn with Wales, Bulgaria, Switzerland and Montenegro in their 2012 European Championship qualifying group, was reluctant to discuss the reasons for stripping Terry of the armband that has now passed to vice-captain Rio Ferdinand.

The Chelsea skipper was at the centre of more lurid claims yesterday, reinforcing Capello's decision to remove the captaincy because he believed the cohesion of the England team was under threat if Terry remained in command.

Capello added: "I spoke with John Terry. You know why. But it was a private conversation."

Remarkably, Capello will not even speak to the Manchester United man about his new role until he reports for England duty ahead of next month's warm-up friendly with Egypt.