Rio work as SWC TV pundit

London - Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand will assess his former England teammates' performances during the World Cup next year.

The BBC said Ferdinand will be part of its punditry team in Brazil alongside former England players Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Phil Neville.

Ferdinand has 81 caps with England. He was called up for England's qualifiers in March but later withdrew from the squad and retired from international football.

Ferdinand, who will also have a role with social media content during the tournament, said "I'll be cheering on England, especially with quite a few of my clubmates involved. But there'll be a great array of Premier League players on display throughout the tournament and I'm excited to see how they all perform on the big stage."