Man United defender heeds Ferguson's veiled career warning

Rejecting England will have hurt Rio Ferdinand and left him with the painful realisation that he is unlikely to enjoy a World Cup swansong next year. If he cannot play two games in five days against San Marino and Montenegro, what chance the prospect of three games in 10 days in the heat and humidity of Brazil?

Pragmatism, rather than patriotism, has led to the Manchester United defender taking the decision which could potentially prolong his career for another one, two or even three years at Old Trafford.

Had he taken Roy Hodgson's olive branch - one which arrived only when the England manager had no other option - and returned to the England set-up, Ferdinand would have backed himself to remain at the heart of the defence until the very end of next summer's World Cup adventure. But the implications of allowing his heart to rule his head on his club versus country dilemma were spelt out clearly by Sir Alex Ferguson at Carrington last Friday.

Although the United manager insisted the final decision on whether to return to the England scene would be Ferdinand's, he first made sure he laid out the reasons why it was a bad idea before kicking the ball into the player's court. When a manager cites medical advice as central to his misgivings over a player's ability to represent his country, there is clearly only going to be one outcome if that player values his long-term future at the club.

Ferdinand's injuries, particularly a long-term back problem which led to a series of calf strains, led Ferguson to contemplate life without the 30 million pounds centre-half two years ago. Ferguson believed Ferdinand's body had taken such a battering that he could no longer rely on him to be fit enough to contribute at the highest level for United. So Phil Jones was signed from Blackburn for 16.5 million pounds and told he would be Ferdinand's long-term replacement, but Jones's arrival coincided with the end of Ferdinand's England career - until last week that is - and triggered the start of his conditioning work at Old Trafford which has transformed his fitness.

All of United's players work to training programmes tailored specifically to their needs. Javier Hernandez and David de Gea have been put on special strengthen plans, Wayne Rooney has in the past worked purely on his pace, but Ferdinand's routine has been devised to prevent further eruptions of the back problem that proved so debilitating between 2008 and 2010. Under the guidance of club doctor Steve McNally, fitness coach Tony Strudwick and specialists in Milton Keynes, Soho and Germany, Ferdinand has changed the way he trains and protects his body.

Yoga has also been incorporated into his daily regime and, like the 39-year-old Ryan Giggs, Ferdinand has benefited hugely. That is not to say that Ferdinand could not have maintained his fitness programme while on duty with England.

Clearly, he could have adhered to the same conditioning plan and trained as he does at Carrington, but his decision to withdraw from this squad is only partly about his fitness.

It is also only partly about the issues he has with Hodgson over his omission from Euro 2012 for "football reasons" last summer.

The key to this decision is Ferdinand's determination to extend his career at United and, if England has to fall by the wayside, so be it.

Not that it was a move that he took lightly. In the past, Ferdinand's devotion to the England cause has exasperated Ferguson, but having been born and raised in London, where the national team has a pull far stronger than in northern cities such as Manchester and Liverpool, Ferdinand's pride at representing, and then captaining, his country was something he never hid.

It is why, when asked last month if he would consider returning to the England set-up, despite his anger at being repeatedly overlooked by Hodgson, he insisted he would "pack my bags and go straight there". Had Ferdinand returned to the international fold, he would still probably have been handed a new contract by United this summer, but he would have risked giving the likes of Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans a greater opportunity to dislodge him from Ferguson's team.

At 34 and with fitness issues, Ferdinand does not need the distraction of a heavier workload. The last two years, when he has focused solely on United, are testament to that. But by putting United first, Ferdinand has delivered a clear message to Ferguson about his future intentions.

He wants to be at Old Trafford next season and beyond. He wants to win trophies with United rather than risk disappointment with England and he does not want to jeopardise his future by taking a decision which, ultimately, would be in defiance of Ferguson.