England defender Rio Ferdinand has revealed the agony of his kidney infection wh

England defender Rio Ferdinand has revealed the agony of his kidney infection which forced him to miss England's Euro 2004 qualifiers against Macedonia and Liechtenstein...

Remarkably, doctors are yet to determine exactly what caused the illness, but Ferdinand is thankfully on the mend and will hopefully be fit for United's match against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The 24-year-old said: "I was in so much pain. I would not wish it on anybody. It was quite scary. I couldn't sleep properly and when you don't know what it is you are obviously concerned. It was like severe backache and for three days I could barely walk because of the pain.

"I had never had to spend a night in the hospital before. But I was in there for two days while various tests were done. The doctors think it was a virus but I'm still waiting to get some of the results. Thankfully I'm feeling great now and enjoying my football again." 

Ferdinand has collected 33 caps for his country but since his move to United in the summer of 2002, the former West Ham and Leeds star has been plagued with a number of different injuries.

Now he is hoping that he can put all that behind him focus on the matches ahead, including England's vital Euro 2004 qualifier against Turkey in October.

"I just can't believe it. Before I joined United I never had any injuries at all. But I seem to have loads since I got here. Fingers crossed that's the end of them for a long time," he said.

Rio Ferdinand 

Nationality: English
Place of Birth: Peckham, England
Date of Birth: 7 November 1978
Weight: 13 12
Height: 6' 2''
Club: Manchester United
Position: Defender