Exit looms for rebel Rio

Manchester United 4 Stoke City 2

The unavoidable conclusion, in the aftermath of a Ferguson tongue-lashing on Saturday evening, is that Ferdinand’s latest brush with the ultimate Old Trafford authority will prove to be the beginning of the end of another glorious United career.

An illustrious list headed by the likes of Roy Keane, David Beckham and Jap Staam have all seen successful, lengthy spells in the red of United end in unseemly circumstances, Old Trafford legends shown the door not because of waning football powers but because of their perceived rebellion against the benign dictator who has led the club for over a quarter of a century.

Just two months ago, Ferguson spoke angrily about his and United’s attitude towards players’ use of the social media Twitter after Ferdinand was fined £45,000 by the FA for disparaging remarks made against Ashley Cole following his role in the John Terry-Anton Ferdinand race row.

Now, 24 hours after Ferguson had criticised Jason Roberts for his planned boycott of the ‘Kick It Out’ campaign and promised all United players would wear the organisation’s T-shirts, Ferdinand has gone further.

As United players warmed up before the Stoke game, Ferdinand was the only one who eschewed the black shirts, a solitary figure in a red tracksuit top, a gesture which was always destined to dominate the afternoon’s events.

Ferguson shrewdly did not mention “discipline” as he tore into Ferdinand in post-match interviews, promising only that he would be “dealt with”.

Unable to fine Ferdinand for what is, after all, a matter of personal choice over a political matter, Ferguson may not have long to wait before “dealing” with him.

If, as expected, Chris Smalling returns to fitness in time for tomorrow’s home Champions League game with Braga, Ferdinand may well find himself dropped for that game as a punishment. But, more relevantly, the 33-year-old is out of contract this summer and every simmering dispute between manager and player, let alone an act of open defiance such as this, surely means Ferdinand’s days at the club are now drawing to a close.

“It’s a free country but the manager did say in his press conference that all his players would be wearing the T-shirt,” said former United defender Viv Anderson, the first black player to represent England 34 years ago.

“Rio chose not to do that and he’ll have to live with that and move on.”

Anderson, a pundit on the club’s in-house television station MUTV, was critical of Ferdinand’s actions although sympathetic to his position, given that the United man, like Roberts, believes the punishment handed out to John Terry by the FA has been inadequate.

“It’s not just the football club, it’s the FA, the players’ union, the managers’ union, they all back Kick It Out,” said Anderson. “There’s ‘Give Racism the Red Card’, they’re involved as well.

“Racism was a problem when I played, it was worse then because there were less black players when I started. But we’ve come on a hell of a lot since then. The last few years, little bits have come out but we have done a hell of a lot of work. ‘Kick Racism Out’ was started a long, long time ago — I was one of the first patrons of it — and it has come a long, long way.”

Of course, Ferdinand’s long-term career prospects at United have also not been aided by some shoddy on-field performances of late and this was hardly a classic defensive performance, collectively or individually.

Wayne Rooney’s early own goal put Stoke into a shock lead before the England forward rectified matters and United ran riot either side of half time; Rooney scoring one, finding Antonio Valencia who set up Robin van Persie for number two then crossing for Danny Welbeck to make it 3-1. More poor defending allowed Michael Kightly to pull one back before Rooney wrapped it up.

But, while United lie second, defensive frailties and the fact they have trailed in six of their eight games has not gone unnoted.!

However, with Rooney and van Persie starting to click impressively and Welbeck forming a triple-pronged threat, United’s attack, currently the division’s most prolific, will take some stopping.

MANCHESTER UNITED (4-4-2): De Gea 6; Rafael 7, Ferdinand 6, Evans 6, Evra 7; Valencia 7 (Nani 74), Carrick 7, Scholes 6 (Anderson 69, 7), Welbeck 8 (Hernandez 77); Van Persie 8, Rooney 9.

STOKE CITY (4-1-4-1): Begovic 7; Cameron 5, Huth 5, Shawcross 6, Wilson 5; N’Zonzi 5; Walters 6 (Etherington 70, 6), Whitehead 6 (Palacios 84), Adam 7, Kightly 8 (Owen 74); Crouch 6.

Referee: A Taylor.