RIO FERDINAND’S EIGHT month ban for missing a drugs test was a big blow to Manchester United during the 2003/04 season as they relinquished their title crown to Arsenal’s Invincibles.

In his upcoming book The Second Half, as seen by the Daily Mirror, Roy Keane has spoken about the impact Ferdinand’s loss had on United that year, as well as what he would have done had he been ordered to take a drugs test.

“He [Rio] suffered for it and so did the team. If it had been me, and the doctor had said I had to do a drugs test, I’d have gone and done it. It wasn’t something I’d have forgotten.

“It wouldn’t have been like collecting a letter at the office, or remembering your boots. When a doctor says you’ve got to do a drugs test, it’s not an everyday thing. But then, some people are genuinely forgetful.

“I don’t think I was annoyed at the time, and I don’t think the other players were either. But, ultimately, the team suffered. I didn’t look at Rio and think that he’d been up to no good, or that there was a hidden reason for what had occurred. I think he genuinely forgot.

“We paid the price. He was a very good player and we missed him, especially in the second half of the season when the crunch games were coming up.”

Keane’s second autobiography comes out on Thursday, and it is sure to be an explosive read.

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