Good riddance: Finally, the axe falls on Rio

NONE of you will have been too surprised by the way Goodison turned out, I daresay: after an apocalypse like City, defensive caution and an overall sense of non-event were only to be expected.

Only two features are even worth noting, in fact: the oh-so-welcome return of Cleverley, and the omission of Rio, of which more later.

Before kick-off, Fergie had allowed one more comment to be extracted from him about City: “We can analyse it as much as you want but it won’t do us any good. My attitude is to completely forget it – it never happened. It won’t do us any good looking back on that game.”

Eh? That may be one of the most outlandish things he has ever said – amidst stiff competition. Whatever happened to “only a fool doesn’t learn from his mistakes”? (Such as omitting Vidic, and persisting with two vs. three in the middle?) The first three home games this season each saw United allow the opposition 20 shots on goal. Only two teams had managed that at Old Trafford in the previous five seasons. The figure is now up to over 90 chances conceded from our five home fixtures. That’s not due to changes in defensive personnel (although it doesn’t help that we’ve started with nine different central defensive partnerships in 15 games) as the team’s clearest lack is in midfield, as we point out here every week.

Cleverley is the Great White Hope. But he’ll need someone else alongside him, someone Grade A, uber-reliable, of Keane-Robson-Ince potential. It’s not as if Fergie hasn’t identified the problem area.

He was actively chasing Modric, Nasri and Sneijder in the summer but deals either never got to first base. We are certainly being repeatedly told that crisis-riven Inter are prepared to sell him in January in order to buy three new players, which they clearly do need as they languish in 17th position.

Red Issue’s Portugal snout has also discovered we are very keen indeed on Gaitan at Benfica although he tends to prefer wide positions. Wise heads predict that if Jorge Mendes becomes formally attached to the player, you’ll see some action – and he did do the deal that took the star from Boca to Benfica, so a reunion is one easy call away.

But it’s a potential departure that has most captured my imagination, one which won’t shock regular readers: Rio Ferdinand. Finally, after so many woeful performances during the past 18 months, Fergie has seemingly finally allowed the overdue axe to fall – and he may even leave in June.

One of my spies at San Carlo restaurant in Manchester on the eve of the derby spotted the three Glazers and Harry Redknapp tucking in at the same table: could Harry have been trying for another go at buying Ferdinand, after the previous aborted attempt we revealed here last year – which Redknapp denied at the time, and then later admitted? Yes please.