“Don’t come back for a year” - When police called Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand after Leeds departure

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand disclosed last year how Yorkshire police advised him to not visit the county for a year after he left Leeds United for Old Trafford.

Ferdinand was addressing the rumors linking then-Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips with United when he made the revelation. The former defender-turned-pundit stressed that the England international couldn't join the Red Devils because he would not be able to 'set foot back in Leeds'.

"This is the difference between me and him - he’s a Leeds boy. He can’t set foot back in Leeds, his family have to move out if he goes from Leeds to join Man United.

"Trust me, I had the head of Yorkshire Police ring me when I left for Man United saying 'don’t come back for a year'. And I had only been [at Leeds] for 18 months."

Phillips eventually joined Manchester City in the 2022 summer transfer window but could make just 11 Premier League appearances for them throughout the 2022-23 season.

Ferdinand then went on to narrate the story of when he exchanged Leeds with Manchester United, saying:

"I had a bar that was only just opened in Leeds and when I signed for Man United, the head of the police rang me. I don’t know how he got my number, but he rang me and said, ‘Just to let you know, I’d advise you don’t open your bar. If you open your bar there will be people coming down to mash it up, we’ve got intel that they’re looking to destroy your place.' So that place got put to sleep, never opened again, dormant, gone. And then I started understanding the rivalry.

"When we went back to Leeds with Man United for the first time, we actually got beat 1-0, I think. I had to have a police escort to get into the ground because where the bus used to park to get into the ground you have to walk a little bit and, yeah, it was madness, crazy."

Ferdinand had joined Manchester United in 2002 in a £30 million deal and went on to win six Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy among other honors in 12 years at the club.

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Rio Ferdinand urges Harry Maguire to leave Manchester United

Rio Ferdinand has urged out-of-favor Manchester United defender Harry Maguire to leave the club this summer to resurrect his career. Maguire has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag.

Speaking on Vibe with Five on YouTube (h/t Manchester Evening News), Ferdinand said:

“I think he needs to. If he wants to resurrect his career he has to go in the summer. He cannot stay there and play second fiddle. If he genuinely wants to stay as an England player and get back on track.”

United have also been linked with Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae. If the move materializes, it would push Maguire further down the preference order.