Fabio Capello and Rio Ferdinand have drawn a line under the inflammatory issue of the England captaincy, with the manager anxious to focus minds on the awkward task of overcoming Switzerland at Wembley on Saturday.

Ferdinand was stripped of the armband in March after injuries limited him to leading the side four times out of 15 possible occasions, with John Terry restored in his stead.

While that decision might have been deemed understandable, the lack of explanation afforded the Manchester United centre-half provoked fierce criticism, with the player angered by the absence of communication from above.

Capello is understood to have sought out the centre-half on Monday evening, when the England players reported to the side's Hertfordshire hotel, and attempted to clear the air. Ferdinand trained with his national team‑mates for the first time since losing the captaincy on Tuesday at London Colney, pointedly jogging alongside Terry in the warmup that was open to the media. The pair laughed and joked together as they ran around the pitch.

That reaction will have come as a relief to Capello, who is anxious that the threat posed by the Swiss is not under-estimated. The manager gathered together his squad before the training session and stressed the importance of focusing, despite this fixture coming two weeks after the end of the Premier League season.

Stewart Downing reported: "The manager said: 'No messing about, we are here to win the game.' He has a lot of people to choose from. It is a difficult position to be in, to pick 18 [of the 25 selected], because we are all playing well and fit and well. But we should be confident of winning the game."

All but the Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick trained on Tuesday, with doubts persisting over his involvement after he sustained an ankle injury during the defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League final. Carrick had been recalled to the national squad for the first time since the World Cup but will be assessed again on Wednesday in the hope that he can still play some part.

Capello has already lost David Stockdale and Jermain Defoe of his original selection and retains only three recognised forwards with Darren Bent – a scorer on his past three international appearances – expected to begin the qualifier against the Swiss in a 4-3-3 formation.

Peter Crouch and Bobby Zamora, the other strikers in the squad given Wayne Rooney's ban, failed to end their club sides' final Premier League fixtures but both are fit.

England are joint top of Group G but must beat the Swiss to ensure they remain in control in the section.