He tallks here about Rio's reaction since being dropped by England in August:
"When I left him out the side he woke up. When I put him on the bench I think he deserved that at the time. He never complained and he never said anything.
"He was not playing very well and when he does not play very well it can only be a case of: 'Is he injured or is he not concentrating?'
"If he is not injured and if he is concentrating, he should be one of the best players on the pitch, always."
Eriksson added: "I don't remember what I said when I dropped him. It was a long time ago but I more or less said: 'You have to convince me that I am wrong'. His only comment was: 'I will'.
"He was not angry. There were no other comments at all. He just accepted it. But now he is playing fantastic."
"In the last World Cup Ferdinand and Sol Campbell were considered two of the best defenders in the world.
"Rio is still at that level today. Sol Campbell maybe should be on the same level but for the moment he is on the bench." Ferdinand last night spoke about the thrill of reaching his half-century of appearances for England.