The chances are he has broken a metatarsal, an injury that is becoming as fashionable as any tattoo or suspect haircut in the England camp. It started with David Beckham when we wondered whether he would make the 2002 World Cup, and continued to Euro 2004 where Wayne Rooney collapsed in a heap of broken dreams.
Now Gerrard, too, could be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after John O’Shea trod on his heel. “I felt a crack in my foot,” he said. The loss of Gerrard, whose career has been blighted by injuries, would be a debilitating blow for Liverpool and England. The awful reality now is Gerrard’s hyperactive style often ends in the sight of him hobbling to the sidelines, just as it did for Bryan Robson.
Would he be fit? Would his attitude be right? Would he remember to turn up? In the end the comeback became a love-in, the fans turning a blind eye to the stupidity that has facilitated their side’s decline before Ferdinand received a shamelessly contrived man-of-the-match award.
This was always going to be a happy homecoming, given that United are an ailing side trying to overcome an appalling start to the season and Ferdinand is a better centre half than O’Shea and Roy Keane. His best football may have come during his days at Leeds United, but you don’t rack up close to £50 million in transfer fees for nothing. “I’ve held my hands up from the start, but I’m not looking back, I’m looking to the future,” he said afterwards. “I was nervous, but when you get out there it’s all about football.”
United had a precedent for all this in the history books, of course, and Sir Alex Ferguson himself drew the comparison with Eric Cantona, who served a similar ban for attacking a Crystal Palace fan in 1995. “Eric was on a mission to make up for lost time and Rio is the same,” Ferguson said. The Frenchman’s return was more intriguing because we awaited some industrial defender or terrace lout to goad him into another cancan routine. Watching someone trying to improve their memory is less riveting.
Whether Ferdinand had a galvanising effect or not, United were utterly dominant in the first half and he was graceful under pressure when Liverpool made a game of it in the second. There were few signs of ring-rust, a nice dummy and back-pass reaping affectionate applause, some quick thinking and feet enabling him to block Djibril Cissé’s shot.
It is worth noting that United were top of the league the last time Ferdinand played. Ferguson insisted Ferdinand’s composure had transmitted itself throughout the defence, but the notion that his mere presence would inspire his team-mates to a higher plane was from the Walter Mitty school of thought. The equaliser underlined that.
The chances are Ferdinand’s break will have done him good, just as it did with Cantona. Pilloried, crucified and written off, pundits and punters alike said Cantona could never be the same. In his absence, United had lost the title race to Blackburn Rovers and the local newspaper conducted a poll asking “Should Fergie Go?”
Whereupon Cantona, refreshed after a holiday in Martinique and coaching kids,came back against Liverpool one Sunday afternoon in October, scored a penalty and inspired the team to the Double. Ferguson breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t think there will be any player in history who will get the sentence that he got,” he said. Fast forward nine years to a Monday night in September and the folly of those words was obvious.
Ferdinand said he felt drained. He chewed on an energy bar and spoke about playing the game he had loved since being a kid. Elsewhere, away from the hype and the cloying glare of publicity, Sol Campbell made his comeback for Arsenal reserves against Coventry City. It should have been a great night for England, but as one saga came to a satisfying end, the enduring one of Gerrard’s body took another twist.