MANCHESTER, England - Rio Ferdinand brought his trophy-filled, 12-year stay at Manchester United to an end on Monday by announcing he would be leaving Old Trafford to continue his playing career. The 35-year-old Ferdinand, who became Englands most expensive player when he joined United from Leeds for 29.1 million pounds in 2002, has not been offered an extension to his contract that expires next month. He suggested, however, that his departure was on his own terms, saying in a statement: "I have thought long and hard over the last few months about my future, and after 12 fantastic years playing, for what I regard, as the best club in the world, I have decided the time is right for me to move on." A tall, elegant, ball-playing defender, Ferdinand made 454 appearances for United — his last coming in the 1-1 draw at Southampton on Sunday in the final match of the season. He had been marginalized by the club this season, making just 14 appearances. Ferdinand won six league titles, two League Cups, one Champions League and a Club World Cup with United and forged one of Premier Leagues great centre-back partnerships with Nemanja Vidic, who will also leave this summer to join Inter Milan. With left back Patrice Evra soon out of contract, too, whoever comes in as the full-time replacement for fired United manager David Moyes faces a huge task to rebuild the defence. Ferdinand has had injury problems in recent years — particularly with his back — and has been following a strict training regime to extend his career, but he signalled he is not ready to retire. "I am feeling fit and healthy, ready for a new challenge and looking forward to whatever the future holds for me," he added in the statement. While Vidic was afforded an emotional farewell at Old Trafford in his final home match, receiving a memento from club great Bobby Charlton before last weeks Premier League game against Hull and a rousing ovation from Uniteds fans, Ferdinand will leave without any ceremony. Sections of the British media reported Monday that Ferdinand was told in the dressing room after the Southampton match that he wouldnt be offered a new deal. "Circumstances didnt allow for me to say goodbye the way I would have liked," he added in the statement, "but Id like to take this opportunity to thank my teammates, staff, the club and the fans for an unbelievable 12 years that Ill never forget. Winning trophies I dreamed about as a kid came true at this great club." The low point of his spell at United undoubtedly came in 2003 when he was banned for eight months after being found guilty of missing a drugs test. But he will be remembered by United fans as one of Alex Fergusons best defensive purchases, despite his hefty price tag, with Ferdinand breaking the mould for English centre backs with his touch, athleticism and ability to play the ball out of the back. New Balance Sneakers Dame 574. The Detroit Tigers turn to baseballs lone 20-game winner this season tonight as they try to leave Boston with a 2-0 edge over the Red Sox in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series. Nike Free 5.0 Dame Norge.Prince Fahad bin Jalawi Al Saud, an international relations consultant to the president of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, told a French Olympic website that resolutions passed by the IOC last month open the door for a possible joint bid with mens events on Saudi territory and womens competitions in Bahrain. http://www.skonikefree-no.com/air-max-90/air-max-90-herre.html. The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. New Balance 574 Norge. Spoelstra spoke after the teams shootaround at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. He says he expects everyone to be ready for the showdown between the two-time defending NBA champs and the team with the NBAs best record this season (18-3). Nike Free Run Billig.As the NFL investigates how footballs got deflated during the AFC Championship game, and detractors accuse the team of cheating, very little air seems to have gone out of Patriots Nation and its Super Bowl euphoria. SAN FRANCISCO -- An attorney for Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez said a sharp grounder that struck the right-hander in the thigh before his final start caused him to change his throwing motion and may have contributed to him needing season-ending elbow surgery. Tampa-based attorney Ralph Fernandez explained the timeline for the pitchers injury in a lengthy statement to Miami media on Friday. He said the reigning NL Rookie of the Year had to alter his delivery after getting hit on the back of the left leg by a sharp grounder off the bat of Dee Gordon in the Marlins 5-4 win over Los Angeles on May 4 in Miami. Fernandez pitched five innings at San Diego on May 9 in his last start before the Marlins announced he would need Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, which he had Friday in Los Angeles. "Jose did not have a pre-existing condition," Ralph Fernandez wrote in a statement. "While pitching during the recent Dodgers game in Miami he was struck by a ball on his rear thigh. This prompted a completely unanticipated change in delivery which neither the staff nor his coaches could discern. "After the game we spoke as we always do. Jose was concerned about his arm. Despite many exchanges on the subject in the days that followed he felt that with the Marlins regaining first place in the division he could not let his team down. Apparently the injury was worse than he believed. In San Diego in the third ending he suffered a traumatic event, tossed a couple of more innings and the rest is history." Marlins manager Mike Redmond saaid before the Marlins played the San Francisco Giants on Friday night that nobody on the team knew of Fernandezs injury until his start in San Diego.dddddddddddd "I just think if it was bothering him, then he should have said something and we wouldve obviously shut him down and taken those precautions," Redmond said. "As soon as we found out that he had a sore arm, we shut him down and got an MRI and got everything looked at and got the information that we needed." Redmond also refuted that Fernandez changed his delivery after getting hit in the thigh against the Dodgers. "He looked the same to me in that game after that," Redmond said. Marlins president Michael Hill said in a statement that Fernandezs surgery went well. He said Fernandez would return to Miami and immediately begin his rehabilitation program. Attorney Ralph Fernandez said in his statement that he, the Marlins, the pitcher and his agent, Scott Boras, all agree that surgery was the proper course of action. Typical recovery time is 12 to 18 months. The 21-year-old Fernandez was put on the disabled list earlier this week, becoming the latest in a string of major league pitchers this year who have needed Tommy John surgery. Fernandez finished 4-2 with a 2.44 ERA in eight starts this season. Fernandez made 28 starts last year, going 12-6 with a major league-best .182 opponents batting average. His 2.19 ERA was second in the majors behind three-time defending ERA champ Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. Fernandez struck out 187 in 172 2-3 innings. China Jerseys? 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