Rio: Fitness Pleased Me

Rio Ferdinand was pleased with his personal contribution to United's season after making his highest number of appearances in all competitions since the 2008/2009 season.

The classy defender also racked up his most league outings for four seasons to quell any fears over his fitness as he managed to feature extensively for the Reds. Speaking before his exclusion from England's Euro 2012 squad, the centre-back feels his form was consistent at Barclays Premier League level.

When asked by ManUtd.com if he feels good after a long season, he replied: "Yes, I feel good. I’m just pleased to have played a number of games back to back. For the last couple of years, that’s all I’ve been praying for. To have a few games on the bounce and I’ll be able to find my way back to playing well and playing consistently. This season I thought I’d done that."

Ferdinand is still coming to terms with the disappointment of losing the title to Manchester City on the final day when Roberto Mancini's team netted twice in injury time against QPR to snatch glory from United's grasp.

"You only want to be a part of something like that when you’ve won and we haven’t," he said of the last-day drama. "Coming second is no consolation and there’s no prize for coming second.

"In another season, that tally of points would have won the league. City spent a lot of money but you have to give them credit. Anyone who wins the league in this country are worthy champions because it’s a tough league to win.

"We’ve had a lot of problems with our squad in terms of injuries. No excuses at all but to deal with the amount of injuries and disruption we’ve had in our squad this season, to get to where we did, is testament to the depth of squad we’ve got."