IT WAS FOR A WORTHY CAUSE

Wes:

"The Gaffer put me back in and he believed I could still do it, so I was really happy about that. But it turned out the timing wasn't exactly right for me.

"I knew I wasn't 100 per cent but all I could do was keep trying and working because the only way I was going to get fitter was by playing games.

"I just kept on going and stayed focused and made sure I didn't listen to everything that was being said about me. I had to hope that my game would improve the fitter I got.

"When a young player comes through at United, praise gets poured on you. That's the way it works.

"But my injuries have always stopped me from achieving something, halted my progress for six months at a time. You just have to keep your head up and believe in yourself and keep working."

But at least Ferdinand's earlier departure allowed him the chance of appearing for England in the Euros had his ban been reduced on appeal, so it wasn't all in vain Wes. Ahem.

Meanwhile in Germany, we await evidence of Sepp Blatter's indignation at the leniency here:

BERLIN (AFP) - Hertha Berlin's Germany international defender Marko Rehmer has been suspended for nine matches for doping, the German football federation revealed.

The 32-year-old Rehmer tested positive for a glucocorticoide, which has steroid properties, on May 15 following their match with 1860 Munich.