FANS reckon Juan Sebastian Veron was “getting ready to chin” Rio Ferdinand at the World Cup.
That’s after he was jokingly bumped into by his former Manchester United teammate as they reunited in Qatar.
Veron, 47, and Ferdinand, 44, spent a single season together at Old Trafford in 02/03, helping Sir Alex Ferguson win one of his 13 Premier League titles.
But while Ferdinand enjoyed a further 11 years at United, it proved to be Veron’s last campaign.
Despite their short time together, the pair forged a fine friendship.
And Ferdinand rekindled dormant fires when he cheekily approached Veron ahead of Argentina’s World Cup semi-final win over Croatia.
Catching his pal off-guard, Ferdinand jokingly bumped into Veron, who leaped back startled.
But after regaining his composure with a deep intake of breath, Veron warmly embraced his old chum in touching scenes.
However, some fans believe Veron was not too pleased with his pal’s joke.
Responding to the video on Ferdinand’s Instagram page, one said: “He was getting ready to chin someone.”
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Another wrote: “He wanted to throw hands at first.”
One declared: “He was ready for a straightener.”
Another added: “He hadn’t a clue who you were big man.”
After his two years at United, Veron made an infamous switch to Chelsea when Roman Abramovich bought the Londoners in 2003.
But Veron only made seven league appearances before being shipped out to Inter Milan and Estudiantes, eventually finishing his club career with the latter.
Despite his shortcomings in English football, Veron is still regarded as one of the Noughties’ great talents with 72 Argentina caps, and won the Golden Foot Legend award last month.
He certainly has no regrets over his English adventure, but Veron admits he should not have left United for Chelsea.
The icon said last year: “I signed for United because I had a passport issue in Italy and thought a change of scenery would be good for my mind.
“Truth be told, I had a pessimistic view about playing in England, as I imagined that life there would be so different to what I was used to – the Latin lifestyle.
“But I found an extraordinary club. You could hardly find one as well-organised, with so many people willing to help. I had two great years in Manchester, winning the Premier League title.
“I’m still in touch with several of the guys I met: Dwight Yorke, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand, Quinton Fortune, Wes Brown, John O’Shea. I met Gary and Phil Neville again at some point, too.
“I felt that going to Chelsea could have been a good chance for me to get a longer sequence of matches, but I shouldn’t have gone there.
“I don’t say that because of Chelsea, though. It’s nice to have a club wanting to sign you, excited that you can do something for them. To make an investment like that, the club has to believe in you and trust you.
“I actually found it tougher to live in London than Manchester because I’m from La Plata, which is quite a small city.
“I wish I could have stayed at United longer, as I believe I could have done things differently. If I’d stayed in Manchester, I think I would have had more continuity on the pitch.”
