Ferdinand favours Venables appointment

Rio Ferdinand is convinced Leeds have got it right by appointing Terry Venables as manager.

Rio Ferdinand is convinced Leeds have got it right by appointing Terry Venables as manager.

The England defender, a 35 million pound target for Manchester United among others, was disappointed when former boss David O'Leary, the man who sanctioned his 18 million pound transfer from West Ham, was sacked.

But he is a big fan of Venables and told The Sun newspaper: "It's great news for the club. I'm looking forward to meeting Mr Venables and hearing his plans.

"His record speaks for itself. He has a proven track record and although I was sorry to see David O'Leary go, if you have to get a replacement then Terry Venables is the man.

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"With Mr Venables in charge, I'm sure Leeds can look forward to an exciting future."

Venables has already admitted one of his first tasks will be to offload players in a bid to balance Leeds' books.

However, the 59-year-old former England manager and Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale want Ferdinand to stay.

"My position has never changed in all this," said Ferdinand.

"People have said a deal has been done to sell me but it hasn't as far as I know.

"It makes me feel quite uncomfortable that some people have seen me as the man in the middle in what has happened at the club, because I haven't done anything.

"I've never asked to leave and the club haven't told me they are selling me.

"I spoke to the chairman before I went to Las Vegas on the first part of my holiday and we agreed to talk when I got back to training.

"I won't go into details about what was said but I am still a Leeds player and I haven't asked for a transfer."

Ferdinand shares Ridsdale's impatience for trophies, and the loss of star team-mates may influence his decision if given the chance to move to Old Trafford.

He added: "I really don't know how many players the club needs to sell or how much they need to raise but we all understand that money doesn't grow on trees.

"The fact we did not qualify for the Champions League means the budget is tighter but Leeds have to make sure they are in the best possible position to win things.

"Winning trophies is very important to me. I've never won anything in my life and I'm not afraid to say I'm getting impatient.

"I may be only 23 but I feel like time's moving on and I'm not getting any younger. It's a relatively short career and when you finish you want to look back on what you've achieved.

"The clearest way of assessing it is to look at your medals - and I don't have any. I'm at the stage where I want things yesterday."