THE two most famous managers in the English game will be frantically reassessing their options this morning.

Rio Ferdinand's eight-month suspension, handed to him after being found guilty of missing a random drugs test on September 23, will have set alarm bells ringing at Manchester United and, more importantly, for England.

As well as setting the wheels in motion for an appeal, Sir Alex Ferguson will have his men at Old Trafford trying to find a quick defensive replacement in his bid to keep United on track for their treble trophy hunt.

Having been deprived of his record signing, Ferguson now desperately needs to find a new centre-back in a bid to keep his side on track for Champions League, Premiership and FA Cup glory.

John O'Shea, Mikael Silvestre, Wes Brown and the Neville brothers have certainly played there in the past but none have ever been regarded in the same class as Ferdinand.

And that is sure to focus Ferguson's eyes on trying to secure a ready-made replacement - who knows, there may even be a swift attempt to bring in an experienced and reliable defender in the mould of Middlesbrough's Gareth Southgate.

Southgate could yet be the player to profit the most from the banning of Ferdinand.

There has suddenly become a clear opening for the Boro star in next summer's European Championships squad, as his international career edges closer to its swansong.

Southgate will never have wished anything like this on his England teammate, but whether he likes it or not, the door on the plane to Portugal has suddenly opened and it is now up to him to prove he should be the man stepping on that flight.

There is plenty of competition for that boarding pass and he need look no further than Newcastle United defender Jonathan Woodgate, although the former Leeds man has his work cut out to regain full fitness after a deflating season plagued by injury.

Provided they are available, Eriksson seems to have already set his heart on naming Arsenal's Sol Campbell and Chelsea's John Terry in his Euro squad.

That leaves Southgate, Woodgate and Birmingham's Matthew Upson battling between themselves for the remaining two places.

The Boro skipper seemed to be walking in the last-chance saloon when he was called up to face Denmark in a friendly last month.

It must have been a shock for the 33-year-old just to see his name among this country's elite again, but following his withdrawal from that squad he must have seriously considered booking his holidays for when the domestic season ends.

However, expect the unexpected in football.

And the chiefs at Soho Square have done it again.

An eight-month suspension for Ferdinand - in tandem with his ludicrous £50,000 fine - has suddenly paved the way for an international recall.

Now all eyes will be on February and don't bet against Southgate playing his part in England's next friendly with Portugal.