About 18 months ago a respected broadsheet published an article suggesting that sources at Old Trafford were more concerned, than they had officially let on, about the physical condition of Rio Ferdinand.
At the time, the United defender was a few weeks into a niggling injury which didn’t seem serious. However, the newspaper reported that the medical staff at United had serious misgivings about the overall strength of Rio’s body.
The article proved prophetic and, sadly, Rio has missed huge chunks of the last couple of seasons, depriving United of one of their greatest talents.
One hopes that the same fate will not will befall Liverpool’s leading light, Steven Gerrard. Even though he has only been back for a few weeks, after a 6 month lay off with a groin problem, he immediately showed his class with a superb, penetrative performance, littered with great deliveries into the box against Manchester United at Anfield – and again against Norwich a week ago. Despite his lack of match fitness, he ran himself into the ground and showed just why he has been so important to The Reds for the last decade.
Reports today suggest that he could be out for another protracted period due to an infection in his ankle – the probable result of a tiny cut that he suffered in training on Friday. Hopefully it’s a simple case of bad luck and not indicative of a wider problem, as in Rio’s case.
With any luck Gerrard will be dominating midfields around Europe again before long, because his absence is a huge loss not only to Liverpool’s aspirations for silverware but to the overall cache of The Premier League.
