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 yesterday.

"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.

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 said.