Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has said that he is happy Rio Ferdinand was not named in Roy Hodgson's latest England squad.

John Terry's retirement from international duty due to a dispute with the FA over the alleged racial abuse of Rio's brother Anton looked to have paved the way for a return to the England set-up for the United defender.

However, Hodgson reportedly told passengers on the London Underground that Ferdinand is unlikely to play for his country again, and Ferguson believes that England's loss will be United's gain.

"I'm happy anyway because at his age he should be protecting himself as well as he can. Hopefully by doing that he'll be far more important to me than England," said Ferguson.

Ferdinand, 33, has won 81 caps for his country since making his debut against Cameroon in 1997.