West Ham United midfielder Joe Cole believes that Chelsea defender Ashley Cole "deserves" to don the armband for England's friendly against the Republic of Ireland tonight.

The Three Lions' decision to give the full-back the honour of leading out the team at Wembley has come under scrutiny following Cole's outburst against the Football Association, in which he called them a "bunch of twats" on Twitter.

"What a servant he has been for his country," Cole told talkSPORT. "To get 100 caps for any country is amazing but for England, with the competition he has had to fend off over the last 10 years, it is phenomenal.

"It's great for him to have his night. He's an easy target because he doesn't enjoy the media side of the game, he just wants to turn up, play his football and go home. I'm pleased for him. He deserves it."

Lampard has also backed manager Roy Hodgson's decision to give Cole the captaincy.