RIO FERDINAND HAS denied speculation that a rift exists between John Terry and him.

Responding to The Times’ Matt Dickinson on Twitter, who suggested Ferdinand was “determined to highlight” the fact that he didn’t want to play with John Terry, Ferdinand responded:

“Where have I ‘highlighted’ this? I am struggling to recall an article/tweet/interview where I ‘highlight’ this..”

He later added:

“If I were to talk on this subject in the future you wouldn’t be anywhere near the list of people I’d talk to-Poor journalism.”

However, Dickinson defended himself, claiming he had sources that alleged the relationship between Terry and himself was less than amicable. He then added:

“Won’t embarrass you or anyone around you by disclosing what has been said, but u seem full of denials and no explanations re JT.”

And after Ferdinand suggested he had tried and failed to get an “exclusive,” Dickinson quipped:

“No exclusive required. Just don’t dig my journalism while being disingenuous re your own thoughts….”

John Terry was officially stripped of the England captaincy on Friday, in a decision that went against the wishes of Fabio Capello.

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