Silent knight: Alex Ferguson's retirement announcement left Manchester United players speechless
"There were rumours in the papers he was going to leave. But we were like, 'Nah, there's no chance'" reveals Rio Ferdinand
Getty
Rio Ferdinand said he "owed it to Manchester United" to call time on his England career.
Ferdinand, who announced his retirement from the international scene on Wednesday after winning 81 caps, said: "I think I owe it to Manchester United to do that.
"It wasn't easy [retiring from international football], I'm not going to lie. I love playing for my country, I'm passionate about England and to put that to one side is a big decision.
"But when your body starts telling you that you need to put something aside and keep yourself in good conditon for your club and for what really is your day to day job, that decision had to be made.
"I've done that and I'm pleased with that. I had a good stint with international football but I want to give everything to Manchester United and I feel the time is right to do that."
Ferdinand also revealed fascinating details of the moment Sir Alex Ferguson told his players that he was retiring after 26 years as the Red Devils' manager.
"We came in and there was a notice in the board to say there was a meeting. We were a bit shocked, because there were rumours in the papers that the manager was going to leave," said the defender.
"But we were like, 'Nah, there's no chance he's going to be leaving, there are too many good things going on at the club that can happen in the next couple of years with the squad he's building'.
"Then he broke the news and the thing I'll probably remember most from it is that it was dead quiet in the room. Even when he left, there was just a real mad silence.
"I think it was just a combination of disappointment, but respect as well for the manager's decision for what he's done for the club and what he's done for us as individuals and as a team.
"So you've got to respect his decision. He knows what he's doing, he's been in the game a long time and I think he deserves his rest.
"We've got to prove ourselves under the new manager. He's going to come in with new ideas, there are going to be new rules. a new regime.
"So no matter how long you've been here, the likes of [Ryan] Giggs, myself, who have been here for many years, we're going to be in the same boat as people like Danny Welbeck, Phil Jones and Tom Cleverley.
"So we've all got to be willing to prove ourselves to make sure he thinks we're the right people to start every game."
Michael Carrick beat favourite Robin van Persie to be crowned United's Player of the Year at Wednesday night's awards do at Old Trafford.
Ferdinand, who announced his retirement from the international scene on Wednesday after winning 81 caps, said: "I think I owe it to Manchester United to do that.
"It wasn't easy [retiring from international football], I'm not going to lie. I love playing for my country, I'm passionate about England and to put that to one side is a big decision.
"But when your body starts telling you that you need to put something aside and keep yourself in good conditon for your club and for what really is your day to day job, that decision had to be made.
"I've done that and I'm pleased with that. I had a good stint with international football but I want to give everything to Manchester United and I feel the time is right to do that."
Ferdinand also revealed fascinating details of the moment Sir Alex Ferguson told his players that he was retiring after 26 years as the Red Devils' manager.
"We came in and there was a notice in the board to say there was a meeting. We were a bit shocked, because there were rumours in the papers that the manager was going to leave," said the defender.
"But we were like, 'Nah, there's no chance he's going to be leaving, there are too many good things going on at the club that can happen in the next couple of years with the squad he's building'.
"Then he broke the news and the thing I'll probably remember most from it is that it was dead quiet in the room. Even when he left, there was just a real mad silence.
"I think it was just a combination of disappointment, but respect as well for the manager's decision for what he's done for the club and what he's done for us as individuals and as a team.
"So you've got to respect his decision. He knows what he's doing, he's been in the game a long time and I think he deserves his rest.
"We've got to prove ourselves under the new manager. He's going to come in with new ideas, there are going to be new rules. a new regime.
"So no matter how long you've been here, the likes of [Ryan] Giggs, myself, who have been here for many years, we're going to be in the same boat as people like Danny Welbeck, Phil Jones and Tom Cleverley.
"So we've all got to be willing to prove ourselves to make sure he thinks we're the right people to start every game."
Michael Carrick beat favourite Robin van Persie to be crowned United's Player of the Year at Wednesday night's awards do at Old Trafford.
Check out all the latest News, Sport & Celeb gossip at Mirror.co.uk http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-united-alex-fergusons-retirement-1892069#ixzz2TRU89Kiz
No comments:
Post a Comment