The Evening News reports:
‘Rio Ferdinand bore the brunt of more obscene chanting from his own supporters to sour Manchester United's demolition of Royal Antwerp. Just as Sir Alex Ferguson feared, the outcry over Ferdinand's failure to commit his long-term future to Old Trafford has dogged United's pre-season programme and after suffering at Clyde, Peterborough and in the Far East, there was more misery for the former Leeds man in the Bosuil Stadium.
‘Ferdinand was jeered on most occasions when he picked up possession, the taunting turning into more vicious verbal abuse at times, with the most venomous attacks saved for the end of each half. That, and late injuries to inspirational duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, who both appeared to suffer heavy ankle knocks, took the gloss off a comfortable United victory which saw Ruud van Nistelrooy make a welcome return to form with a first-half hat-trick.’
‘If only Ferdinand's problems could be solved so easily. It might only take one swift stroke of the £29.1million defender's pen on his £100,000-a-week contract to sort out but the memory of his procrastination will linger for some time after that.
‘Penned in by cages which have long since disappeared from English grounds, the 200 United fans close to the tunnel raced forward to the railings to spit out their bile as Ferdinand headed for his half-time break, in close company with assistant manager Carlos Queiroz.’