‘Sign your contract’, irritated Alex tells Ferdinand

ALEX FERGUSON last night issued a blunt message to Rio Ferdinand when he told the under-fire defender: ‘Sign your contract’.

The Manchester United manager’s obvious irritation at Ferdinand being pictured in a London restaurant dining with Peter Kenyon has only been heightened by further revelations that the £29.1million defender actually spent substantially more time with the Chelsea chief executive than was initially thought.

Aside from fuelling his belief the Blues are not quite as innocent as their public statements insisting they have no interest in Ferdinand would have people believe, Ferguson also appears frustrated by his player putting himself into such a compromising situation when negotiations over a contract extension are reaching a critical stage.