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September6,
2002 (Friday)
Rio: I'll be as
strong as Woody in trip to Ell
RIO FERDINAND has
answered every question and overcome every
challenge he has faced with almost effortless ease in his brief but
illustrious career.
Becoming the world's most expensive defender on two occasions has not
fazed him, nor did a drink-drive conviction or the pressure of being
labelled the finest English centre-back since Bobby Moore.
But the 23-year-old faces perhaps the biggest test of his character a
week tomorrow. While most English eyes are focused on tomorrow's
friendly with Portugal at Villa Park, Ferdinand could be forgiven for
having his mind elsewhere.
His return to Leeds following his record-breaking £30million move to
arch-rivals Manchester United promises to be the most gruelling
examination of his temperament and new-found maturity.
Despite his departure from Elland Road, Ferdinand remains good
friends with former Leeds team-mates Jonathan Woodgate and Lee
Bowyer, and is delighted the pair are back in the England fold.
England coach Sven Goran Eriksson is likely to partner Ferdinand with
Woodgate in the centre of defence against Portugal.
Ferdinand is adamant Woodgate would have established himself as a
regular England star by now had it not been for his involvement in a
street attack on an Asian student and subsequent conviction for
affray.
Woodgate has just one full cap to his name, while Bowyer has yet to
represent his country at full international level. But with the FA
ban on their selection now lifted, Ferdinand believes the pair will
become England regulars.
"When I first went to Leeds, Woody was one of the players that
impressed me most," said Ferdinand. "Obviously I knew about the likes
of Lee Bowyer and Harry Kewell, but Woody really stood out.
"He's a great lad and someone I really enjoyed being around, whether
it was on the training ground or playing alongside each other in
games.
"He's a quality defender, he doesn't dive in or make daft tackles. He
doesn't take unnecessary risks and it's good to have him back in the
England set-up.
"People from the outside don't know Woody that well. But he's
confident in his ability and he's earned the right to be here. He's
not in awe of anybody, which is the right attitude to have.
"I've got a lot of admiration for the way he and Bowyer coped with
the court case. Bowyer carried on playing throughout the case and he
showed great strength of character to do that.
"And Woody's come back and it's as if he's never been away. We didn't
talk much about the case when it was going on.
"Everything that went on has been sorted out now and it's time to let
everything get back to normal. If you want England to do well, you
need the best players available. And they're both among them."
And Ferdinand revealed how he will draw on the strength of character
shown by Woodgate and Bowyer during their high-profile court case to
help him through his own inevitable ordeal in his Elland Road return.
"I'm not nervous about going back to Elland Road at all," said
Ferdinand, more in defiance than with any real sense of conviction
you sensed.
"In fact, I'm looking forward to going back there. I'm looking
forward to playing every game at the moment.
"I know it's a big game in terms of where I've just left and where
I've gone to. I'm not sure what sort of reaction I'll get. Maybe
it'll be good, maybe it'll be bad.
"But I enjoyed myself when I was at Leeds and always gave 100 per
cent when I was there, so in an ideal world it would be nice to get a
good reception."
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