Ferdinand: Catch us if you can

Rio Ferdinand has thrown down the gauntlet to Manchester United's rivals, insisting the Reds are ready to launch a staunch title defence under new manager David Moyes.

The centre-back says Sir Alex Ferguson has given his successor every chance of maintaining the club's position at the head of the pack.

"I think this is the way the manager, in his dreams, would have liked to leave the club - in a fit state for someone else to come in and take the reins," said Ferdinand, in an exclusive interview with MUTV.

"We're not going to be looking up to other teams, we're looking down and saying: 'Come and catch us'. We're in a fantastic position. Obviously, Sir Alex's shoes are massive shoes to fill but David Moyes couldn't be walking into a healthier situation. The young players here are hungry and want to win stuff. The senior players have won a lot of things but have still got the desire and the work ethic that the manager has instilled into us. I think that's vital for the future of the football club."

As for his own future, Ferdinand feels he still has plenty to offer at Old Trafford, having been allowed by Sir Alex to manage his own fitness routine in a bid to keep niggling injuries at bay.

"Sir Alex allows you, with other members of staff like the sports science department and physios, to try and work out the way to manage yourself," said the 34-year-old, who announced his retirement from international football yesterday.

"I think that's part of his great management. Some people might try and dictate and say, 'do it this way.' But he gives you that responsibility to work it out for yourself and get to the point where you know what you are doing. He let me do that and

it released any kind of pressure. Some managers do put [pressure] on players to be fit all the time. I've been in that situation where I think I need to be fit, I really need to be fit and you almost become a hindrance to the team. It's great for me to get that comfort from the manager. I think, as an older player, you need that towards the end of your career."

With Everton boss Moyes coming in to take charge, Ferdinand admits he, like all his team-mates, will need to impress all over again and start from scratch.

"You've got to prove yourself under the new manager," he said. "He's going to come in with new ideas, new rules and a new regime. No matter how long we've been here, and the likes of Giggsy and myself have been here for many years, we'll be in the same boat as people like Danny Welbeck, Phil Jones and Tom Cleverley. So we've all got to prove ourselves to make sure he

thinks we're the right people to start each game."

In the same MUTV interview, Rio reflected on a whirlwind week for the Reds - beginning with the moment when Sir Alex Ferguson informed the players of his impending retirement.

"We came in and there was a notice on the board to say there was a meeting," Ferdinand revealed. "There were rumours in the paper that the manager was going to leave but we were thinking: 'There's no chance he'll be leaving. There are too many good things going on at the club because of the squad he's building'.

"Then he broke the news and the most I remember from it was that it was dead quiet in the room. Even when he left, there was real silence and I think that's just a combination of disappointment and respect as well for the manager's decision. For what

he's done for the club, for us as individuals and as a team, you've got to respect his decision. He's been in the game for a long time, he knows what he's doing and I think he deserves a rest."

The atmosphere has since been celebratory of course, from Sir Alex's fitting send-off at Old Trafford to the Premier League trophy parade, during which Rio led the chants and singing on the bus and generally savoured every moment of the latest league triumph. The defender admits some fans might have seen a new side to some of the players.

"I think the fans see us after the games and before the games doing interviews around the training ground and Old Trafford and we're quite serious and straight," he stated. "It's because we're all professional and all directed towards winning and don't want to get out of our comfort zone really. We just get the interviews done and carry on.

"But now it's the end of the season and we've won the league so we can let our hair down, get the party started and we've had a good two weeks. We've had a good few nights out that are well deserved, and the manager has been great because he's let us enjoy it.

"I think I enjoyed my first title [in 2003] unbelievably. When I see now the pictures from the day we won it, I was going bananas! When I think about titles in between, I don't know if I went as crazy, because you take it for granted almost. Now I'm towards the end of my career, I've maybe got a couple of years left and you start really thinking I've got to take it in. I think I took it in this time."

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