Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said on Monday his relationship with Rio Ferdinand was back to normal after he held clear-the-air talks with the defender.
Ferguson had accused Ferdinand of embarrassing him after the player refused to wear a ‘Kick It Out’ anti-racism T-shirt in the warm-up prior to the 4-2 home win over Stoke City on Saturday.
The long-serving Scot had said prior to the game that all his players would wear the T-shirts, stressing his view that a united front was the best approach.
After Saturday’s game, the Scot claimed Ferdinand had let the club down and would be ‘dealt with’.
But any tension between the two appeared to have thawed by Monday, with Ferguson hinting that the 33-year-old player could even be offered a new contract when his current deal expires at the end of the season.
‘I think Rio could play for another two or three years,’ said Ferguson at a press conference in Manchester.
On his disagreement with Ferdinand, Ferguson added: ‘The issue is pretty simple. I spoke to Rio. I think there was a communication problem. I think he felt I should have spoken to him on Friday.
My advice to him is that I always think the union is stronger than any individual,’ said the manager.
Ferguson had accused Ferdinand of embarrassing him after the player refused to wear a ‘Kick It Out’ anti-racism T-shirt in the warm-up prior to the 4-2 home win over Stoke City on Saturday.
The long-serving Scot had said prior to the game that all his players would wear the T-shirts, stressing his view that a united front was the best approach.
After Saturday’s game, the Scot claimed Ferdinand had let the club down and would be ‘dealt with’.
But any tension between the two appeared to have thawed by Monday, with Ferguson hinting that the 33-year-old player could even be offered a new contract when his current deal expires at the end of the season.
‘I think Rio could play for another two or three years,’ said Ferguson at a press conference in Manchester.
On his disagreement with Ferdinand, Ferguson added: ‘The issue is pretty simple. I spoke to Rio. I think there was a communication problem. I think he felt I should have spoken to him on Friday.
My advice to him is that I always think the union is stronger than any individual,’ said the manager.