ALEX FERGUSON said there is no problem between him and Rio Ferdinand over the player’s refusal to wear a T-shirt supporting the anti-racism Kick It Out campaign.
Following Ferdinand’s defiance the Manchester United manager had said the defender would be “dealt with”.
The pair were reported to have resolved their differences on Sunday and Ferdinand trained at Carrington as normal during preparations for tonight’s Champions League game against Braga at Old Trafford.
Ferguson said: “The issue is pretty simple. I spoke to Rio. He felt I should have spoken to him on Friday. I didn’t anticipate there would be any problem in the dressing room as far as the T-shirt was concerned. My advice to him is that I always think the union is stronger than any individual and it is important he airs his grievances to the right people, through the PFA or the FA.
“It has been a communication problem rather than anything else. Obviously as the manager of the club when you lay down policy you don’t want to see it being ignored and that’s where my anger came on Saturday. I have listened to the conviction of Rio and I think it is quite compelling. I can understand his stance. We have resolved the problem. There’s no ongoing problems and we move on.”
Ferguson added that Ferdinand may be offered a new contract when his current deal ends in the summer.
Alex Ferguson is currently contemplating a style revolution at Old Trafford. United have maximum points as they entertain the club that finished third last season in the Portuguese Primeira Liga and Ferguson is considering whether to utilise a new-found diamond formation.
He said: “If it turns out as a consistent team selection from me, playing a diamond, it is revolutionary because we’re going against our history.”
The tradition is United’s harnessing of flying wingers to drive the attack-philosophy that Ferguson believes runs through the club’s DNA. Three times the manager has sent United out in a diamond this campaign and on each occasion it has reaped dividends: against Newcastle United in the Capital One Cup and Premier League, with wins of 2-1 and 3-0 respectively, and in the previous Champions League group match, the 2-1 victory at Cluj, the Romanian champions.
For Ferguson, who will rest Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand tonight, the diamond option, in which Wayne Rooney has been operating at the front tip, adds the potency of the unknown to his armoury. “I think the level of the game in England and Europe is so high now that making yourself unpredictable is going to be a strength,” he said.
“Teams will have to think if we are going to play two wide players or the diamond because we have players capable of doing both things. Players like Shinji Kagawa and Tom Cleverley can play very well in the type of matches the diamond offers.
And of course in Nani, Ashley Young, Antonio Valencia, I’ve got really good wide players also. It is difficult – we have had some success playing with the diamond. The history of the club is always to play with wide players, particularly at Old Trafford, so I have a decision to make.”
Young should feature against Braga after his return from injury while Evra’s absence should mean a third start of Alexander Buttner’s United career. “Young will be involved and I have Nani, Valencia, Ryan Giggs, plenty of wide players. [And] plenty of central midfielders.
“Braga are better away from home, [they] showed that beating Galatasaray [2-0, in their previous European game]. It’s not easy going to Turkey.
Guardian Service
