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.