Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has admitted that he suffered sleepless nights as a result of losing the Premier League title to rivals Manchester City.
City were crowned champions of England on the final day of last season after stoppage-time strikes from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero secured a dramatic 3-2 win over Queens Park Rangers that saw them finish above United on goal difference.
"At first it was one of those things you couldn't get out of your mind," explained Ferdinand. "For the first couple of weeks you're waking up in the middle of the night, thinking about what happened and how it could have ended differently.
"You don't get over it, but you put it to the back of your mind for the few weeks after that. It's hard, though, because you've always got people reminding you about it, whether it's fans of different teams or fans of United.
"But you use that as inspiration for the following season."
Ferdinad's side begin the new campaign away at Everton on Monday, August 20.
Robert Summerscales
