Imagine you are offered a new job.
The company which wants you is bigger, more successful and will double your wages.
The company you are with is shedding staff and not interested in matching the wages being offered by its rivals.
Do you: a) stay put or b) ask to leave? No contest!
So why are people getting on their high horse because Rio Ferdinand has decided it would be in his best interests to quit Leeds and join Manchester United?
Any of us would do the same in our chosen careers but footballers cannot follow the same rules.
When Leeds signed Ferdinand he was under contract, just as he is now. But that did not stop Leeds getting him. They offered a fee which West Ham accepted and he swapped clubs.
That is how football works. If Manchester United come up with a decent bid, then Leeds will sell him.
All the posturing by Elland Road chairman Peter Ridsdale is a nonsense. He says that Ferdinand is not for sale at any price - but he is.
Rio Ferdinand is not a criminal and even the staunchest Leeds fan must recognise Manchester United are a bigger club - whether they are hated rivals or not.
Ferdinand is on the verge of being the best player in England. He deserves to perform at the very top.