HOW RUUD
Rio Ferdinand has revealed he nearly came to blows with former Manchester United team-mate Ruud van Nistelrooy over his treatment of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Speaking on his YouTube channel FIVE, Ferdinand said: “It was mad at United, things could just switch just like that [clicks fingers] in training. I think all training grounds are the same, there’s a lot of testosterone flying about.
“It never really got to that. It’s funny, because I’ve got the biggest mouth on the training ground. I used to always be shouting and screaming and I used to love jokes.
“Obviously I got serious in training, with the games and that, especially on a Friday before the game on a Saturday, everyone’s playing, it would be hard games, fast games.
“One time something happened with Ruud. He smashed Ronaldo a couple of times, and went down his Achilles. And then the ball went into Ruud and I smashed Ruud. I said, ‘What you doing? Why you kicking him?’
“And then Ruud got up and he was [not happy] and all the players just got in the way, so nothing happened. But that’s the way it used to be in training. I was thinking, ‘Ronnie’s a young kid man, leave him alone, what you doing?’ but Ruud was an animal, an animal player.”
