Scott Parker to captain England against the Netherlands

Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker will captain England in their friendly against the Netherlands on Wednesday, the Football Association confirmed.

Caretaker boss Stuart Pearce chose Parker ahead of contenders like Steven Gerrard of Liverpool and Manchester City's James Milner and Joe Hart.

Parker, 31, has won 10 caps since his debut in November 2003 and featured in seven of England's nine games in 2011.

He was voted England Player of the Year by fans on Tuesday.

A tough-tackling midfielder renowned for his energy and stamina, Parker's career has flourished in the last year.

Between 2003 and 2010, he won three international caps while playing for three different clubs - Charlton, Chelsea and Newcastle.

But after coming off the bench against Denmark in Copenhagen 12 months ago to win his fourth cap, he established himself as a first choice in former boss Fabio Capello's midfield.

After being voted Football Writers' Player of the Year for his performances for relegated West Ham last season, he signed for Spurs for £5.5m in August.

Alongside Luka Modric in the Tottenham midfield, Parker has been instrumental in the club's rise to third in the Premier League.

However, he was sent off for two bookable offences in Tottenham's 5-2 defeat by north London rivals Arsenal on 26 February and will miss the top-of-the-table clash with Manchester United on Sunday.

At a pre-match news conference on Tuesday, Pearce had declined to reveal his captain.

He said he would inform his players of his decision on Wednesday morning and outlined the qualities an England captain should possess.

"Captaining England was the proudest moment of my career," he said. "When you play for your country that is the true pinnacle of anyone's career. That is still the case.

"When I bear in mind it might be a one-off scenario, the captain has got to be somebody who is in the starting line-up, somebody who's got the respect of the other players in my eyes and someone who is unselfish and puts the group above himself. That's a vital commodity as captain."

John Terry lost the England captaincy because he is due to stand trial in July over racial abuse allegations after an incident with QPR's Anton Ferdinand.

The Chelsea defender, who was stripped of the armband once before over issues in his personal life, has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge.

After the decision on Terry, Capello resigned as England manager, disagreeing with the Football Association's stance on the matter.

Rio Ferdinand also led England during Capello's reign after Terry lost the captaincy for the first time before the Chelsea defender was reinstated.

Gerrard stood in as captain during World Cup 2010 when England were beaten 4-1 by Germany in the second round.

England team to face the Netherlands: 1. Hart 2. Richards 3. Baines 4. Barry 5. Smalling 6. Cahill 7. Young 8. Parker 9. Welbeck 10. Gerrard 11. A Johnson