Rio took inspiration from how Cantona dealt with his ban – but still no apology:
"The boss definitely helped with that. And I spoke to some of the other players - Keaney, the Nevilles and Giggsy - about their experience. They told me a lot. Not necessarily about the things he [Cantona] used to do but about the atmosphere around the training ground. That kind of stuff went a long way.
"Alex Ferguson was brilliant with me. He kept my spirits up and let me get on with training and, if I ever needed to speak to him, I could just knock on the door of his office. He made it clear to me that training would be vitally important to the way I came back.
"He just said, 'Take it in the right frame of mind. You're not injured. You've got eight months to play football. It'll be better than sulking.' I kept saying that to myself and it kept me above water. I kept my focus on football rather than going on holiday and getting away from it. I wanted to keep my mind in tune with the game.
"I've never said it was anyone's fault but my own. From the day it happened I held my hands up and said, 'I'm at fault and I know I'm going to be punished in some shape or form.' Obviously it's arguable whether the way it was dealt with was right or wrong but it's history now. And I don't want to keep going over old ground.
"I'm not bitter, except maybe when I start talking about it sometimes. Usually it's not in my mind. When I'm by myself or with friends and family, it doesn't come up. But some times things are said and there's a bit of needle.
"I made sure I used the eight months positively. I looked at my game and I've looked at the way the team plays and I've tried to go through everything with a fine-tooth comb. I don't like to talk about the details but, when you're watching from the stands, you see the bigger picture and you start to understand why people are saying, 'Oh, you should be doing this.' And I've definitely changed as a person. It's made me a lot sharper about certain things and certain issues.
"Playing again is brilliant. a similar scenario would be if you're a kid with a computer game, you do something wrong and your mum and dad take it off you for eight months. When you get back on that game you're going to be buzzing and so excited before you get on it. That's me a million times.”