MANCHESTER (AFP) - Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) chief executive Gordon Taylor believes that Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand will come back stronger after his eight months on the sidelines.
Ferdinand returns to the Manchester United line-up against Liverpool on Monday after completing his ban for missing a drugs test.
Taylor was one of the fiercest critics of the suspension and still believes the 25-year-old Londoner was treated unfairly.
"Tomorrow night will be a strong test of his character," said Taylor.
"We just hope the whole episode proves to be a watershed in his career.
"We hope that it will strengthen him and that it will be a real catalyst to increase his stature in the game, otherwise it will have been a long time out of the game that has just been wasted."
Ironically, Ferdinand will make his return in the white-hot atmosphere of a game against Liverpool at Old Trafford, exactly the same game in which Eric Cantona returned from his own eight-month ban for his infamous kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan in 1995.
Though he thought about quitting the game altogether the ban did not appear to have any lasting effects on the Frenchman, who marked his return with a goal and went on to inspire United to a domestic double.