Ferdinand reveals managerial ambitions

You can't move at Manchester United for wannabe managers these days. If it's not Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt machinating behind the scenes, then it's Rio Ferdinand, who has been talking to BT Sport about his own personal ambitions:

Yeah, I'd love to manage. I think it's something that I've grown into wanting to have a go at. You play for so long and so many years ... to see yourself walking completely away from football. I can't see myself doing it, because I love the game too much. So, I'd love to be able to give something back. As a manager, as a coach - I'm not sure yet in what capacity.

He has also, intriguingly, shed some light on how United's players have been reacting to the vacant dugout:

From the moment the boss said goodbye we were all like, 'Who do you think will come?" All the papers were talking about Klopp, Simeone, Van Gaal, Giggsy getting it, Ancelotti, Mourinho, etc. We're the same. We're like guys who are sitting in a pub discussing it. We're doing the same thing ... thinking 'Oh, he'd be alright,' 'Oh, maybe not him'. We're no different.

"Rio, go and warm up."

"Yes, Giggsy. Er, I mean boss. Gaffer. Ryan. Er ... Gaffsy?"

As an aside, there were a couple of reports earlier in the season that the United squad had, when discussing Alex Ferguson's replacement among themselves, become thoroughly enthused about the prospect of Jose Mourinho. All 'sources close to' stuff, so take that as you like, but if true it would certainly explain a subsequent lack of enthusiasm for David Moyes. Anyway, Ferdinand continued:

If you believe and listen t the reports going around now then yeah, it'll be someone with credentials who's been at big clubs and have won a lot of things. But I don't know. I've not been mentioned and that's the only thing I'm disappointed about. [laughs]

He was joking. We think.