Rio: Januzaj tried to dethrone me; I ‘sat him down’

Matt Stead

Rio Ferdinand has explained how he told Adnan Januzaj to “sit down” after the Belgian tried to beat him in training.

Ferdinand enjoyed 12 stellar years at Manchester United before his departure in 2014, with the central defender winning six Premier League titles, a Champions League, a Club World Cup and numerous other titles during his time at Old Trafford.

Now a television pundit, Ferdinand left the club after a difficult season under David Moyes, which coincided with Januzaj’s breakthrough campaign.

The Belgian winger was part of United’s senior squad in the 2012/13 season under Sir Alex Ferguson, but made his debut in the following campaign under Moyes, playing 35 games and scoring four goals.

Speaking to Squawka, Ferdinand has explained how Januzaj had tried to ‘dethrone’ him as United’s “best two-touch player”, a title Ferdinand held over Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo among others.

“I was named, officially, the best two-touch player, you know like you do keepy-ups,” Ferdinand said. “Me and Scholesy, and me and Cristiano used to do it religiously before matches in the changing room.

“I used to beat all of them. Scholesy obviously knows that and he wouldn’t tell you otherwise. Me and Cristiano, there used to be those bikes, 10 bikes lined up in a row, and he used to go one side and we’d play two-three touch over them. It used to be blinding.

“Adnan Januzaj tried to come in when all those guys retired or had left but he got told to sit down and go back and do a youth training scheme before he coming back into the arena.”