Ferdinand misses Leeds' pre-season tour

Rio Ferdinand was conspicuous by his absence when the Leeds squad arrived at Leeds/Bradford Airport to set off for their pre-season tour of the Far East and Australia this morning.

The England defender has requested a transfer and last night Leeds revealed Manchester United had put in an offer, which they rejected.

And Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale today revealed the player had asked to be excluded from the pre-season party.

He said in a statement: ‘‘Rio has told us that he feels the recent intense transfer speculation has left him mentally fatigued and unable to play football.

‘‘He has asked to be omitted from the Leeds United tour of the Far East and Australia.

‘‘We respect Rio’s wishes and while the first-team squad are away, he will be assessed by our medical staff and continue his pre-season training program at our Thorp Arch training ground.’’