Wayne Rooney will not let anyone down, insists Rio Ferdinand

10 April 2012

Rio Ferdinand has shrugged off concerns about Wayne Rooney's discipline and told England's supporters not to worry about the star striker.

Rooney was booked for abusing referee Jeff Selogilwe in yesterday's 3-0 World Cup warm-up win over the Platinum Stars.

The official claimed he was insulted by Rooney — whom he said apologised afterwards — and told the Manchester United striker he will risk getting a red card if he behaves in a similar way when the World Cup starts.

But Ferdinand — out of the competition because of a knee injury — praised his United team-mate's disciplinary record since he was dismissed during the defeat by Portugal at the last World Cup in Germany.

"I don't see Wazza (Rooney) having a problem disciplinary-wise at the World Cup at all," he said. "Wayne's disciplinary record has been magnificent over the last couple of years, since the incident in Germany [when the striker was sent off during England's quarter-final clash with Portugal]. He's done so well to get where he is now."

Ferdinand believes the South African official actually got off lightly and added: "I'm sure he's said a lot worse to other referees in Premier League games. But being here is magnifying things before the World Cup. People have to realise it was a practice match, it wasn't an official match."

American defender Jay DeMerit said he had taken encouragement from seeing Rooney lose his cool. The Watford player is set to have the job of marking the United striker and is hoping his defensive skills will put him off his game as well.

When asked if he would try to unsettle him, he said: "You try to make his day difficult and if a guy has as much fire as he has then maybe those kind of things come out. It's not necessarily something you try to do because then you're thinking of the wrong things when it comes to on the field activities.

"That's our job, but it's not about kicking him when no one is looking or using tactics to try to wind him up. If he brings that stuff out in the way we play against him then that's good. I'm not going to try and bring it out."

Ferdinand was ruled out last Friday and insisted that he does not hold Emile Heskey responsible. "It was a complete freak, an accident," Ferdinand told BBC Radio 5Live. "The ball came in to Emile, I'd gone to try and tackle him from behind — he didn't see me coming — we both went off balance and Emile's weight went down on my knee.

"It's no fault of his at all. It's just a freak accident that could happen at any given time and it had no connection to any previous injuries I've had."

Ferdinand was aware his World Cup had ended, even before he received the scan results. "It's disappointing, but I've come to terms with it now," he added.

"The first night was quite long, going over what could've been and to not be able to represent your country in the World Cup. I was going over scenarios in my head of what could've been.

"Leading out your country into a major tournament is the stuff of dreams and it's taken from under your feet. It was a long evening thinking about that.

"But after that I've thought to myself I've got to get on with it. There's a lot more people worse off than I am. I'm not dying and it's not like I'll never be able to play football again.

"Hopefully I'll be able to come back, do some good rehab and I'll be fit and that's what I'm concentrating on."

Ferdinand will now watch Saturday's match in Rustenburg, before returning to Manchester. "It's always difficult to watch a game that you feel like you could be involved in," he added. "I'll be looking to come out again later in the tournament if the rehab allows me."

Ferdinand inherited the skipper's armband when John Terry was stripped of the captaincy earlier this year.

Steven Gerrard will now captain Fabio Capello's team in the tournament, but Ferdinand believes Terry still has a pivotal role to play.

"Even when I was given the captaincy, I don't think that changes you," said Ferdinand.

"I don't think JT will change the way he plays or the way he is, just because he isn 't wearing the armband. If he did, I don't think you'd see the same player. Likewise with Wazza (Wayne Rooney) — if he doesn't show the same passion or has to hold something back, you won't see the same player."

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