Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has admitted that the club are desperate to seal qualification to the Champions League knockout stages as soon as possible so that they can focus on sorting out their Premier League form.
A late goal denied United all three points at the weekend away at Cardiff City and they now travel to Germany to face Bayer Leverkusen in Europe knowing that a win will book them a spot in the knockout stages.
Ferdinand, who is debating whether or not to retire at the end of the season, knows that it’s a tricky task ahead of them on Wednesday, but he’s confident that they can get the job done.
“We want to finish the job, get it done early so we can get back to the Premier League and have nothing else distracting us,” Ferdinand said.
“They’re a well-equipped team and it’s not going to be easy but we’re more than capable.”
The veteran defender also revealed how disappointed the players were after conceding in stoppage time yesterday.
“We set out to win and are disappointed not to do so, said Ferdinand.
“We’re unhappy we didn’t close the game out but, looking back at the end of the season, we may say this was a point gained rather than two lost,” he said.
“[Cardiff’s equaliser] was the last free-kick of the game and a silly one to give away – we didn’t defend it as well as we should have. It’s happened a couple of times this season and we have to put it right.
“But nothing’s given out now so it doesn’t matter what the table looks like, as long as we’re within touching distance. We’ll keep looking to pick up points, build momentum and push our way up the table.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
