'I have known Rio for a long time and he is a friend of mine. There is no problem with him at all,' said Smith. He has told all the players he will sign his contract and we are sure he will. I am sure he will stay at this club.'
The Evening Standard reports that Ferguson is reassessing his view that Rio is captaincy material:
A 'United source' told the Standard:
'Sir Alex knows just how important his choice of captain is and knows he must choose somebody who the supporters relate to. At the moment that person is not Rio Ferdinand. Sir Alex knows Rio has the potential to do the job but is worried he is in the process of alienating our supporters.'