No rift with United, says England assistant boss

ENGLAND assistant boss Tord Grip insists there is no rift with Manchester United over Rio Ferdinand’s knee operation.

National team boss Sven-Goran Eriksson learned on Saturday his key central defender would miss the European Championship double-header with Slovakia and Macedonia after deciding on surgery to rectify a problem which has been plaguing the United defender since the start of the season.

Unfortunately for Eriksson, the news arrived just hours after he had informed journalists there were no fitness doubts surrounding his squad, leading to claims that Ferguson had withheld vital information which had inadvertently caused embarrassment to the England manager.