Rio Ferdinand shocked by Manchester United axe

Rio Ferdinand has said that he was "taken aback" after being given the news that his Manchester United career had come to an end.

United chief executive Ed Woodward told Ferdinand that he had played his last game for the club last season after their final Premier League match against Southampton.

Ferdinand told The Sun: "I was taken aback. I was sitting there in a blur. It was the last game of the season and I was still in match mode. It was almost in one ear and out the other, and after a little while it hit me what he was saying.

"The other boys hadn't heard, so I leaned over and told Vida (Nemanja Vidic), 'That's my last game for United. He just told me. That's it.'

"The club got in touch later and they would accept that it could have been done better. The most emotional moment was when I went back to the training ground at Carrington to clean out my locker. I had to stop myself from getting a bit worked up about it."

Ferdinand's current club, Queens Park Rangers, face United on Sunday.