Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is counting down the minutes to the end of his eight-month ban for missing a drugs test. Ferdinand, 25, is available for the first time since 17 January when United face Liverpool at home on Monday.
"I cannot tell you how much I've been looking forward to this day.
"Whether or not I'm picked to play against Liverpool it is a big moment. I'm available for selection again," Ferdinand told The Sun newspaper.
He added: "I'm not asking anyone to feel sorry for me. I'm just telling it as it was. I still feel I was unjustly treated but how long can you stay angry for?
"If I needed any help they have been keeping count for me.
"There is definitely a debt of honour to repay Sir Alex Ferguson and I intend to repay him by putting in top-class performances.
"I've been doing extra training and have probably worked harder than I did when I was playing because you are not keeping back energy for games.
"I have been training harder than ever so that when I do return, I can hit the ground running."
Ferdinand's ban coincided with a loss of form for United as they lost top-spot in the Premiership and finished the season third behind Arsenal and Chelsea.
 |  For a young lad... how he has handled the situation is phenomenal |
He missed the FA Cup final and Euro 2004 as a result of the ban, which he failed to overturn at an appeal, and deeply regrets being sidelined for so long.
"I was really angry for a few days after my appeal was turned down and it's driven me mad having to watch the team when I could be out there helping," said Ferdinand.
"You kick every ball, see every pass, score with every shot. It is the most frustrating thing of all.
"I've trained with the lads every day, gone to sleep in the afternoons as I usually do, eaten all the right foods and done everything I normally do.
"I felt like my head was going to explode but I thought the best way to deal with it all was to keep on training, even though there might have seemed little point at the time."
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who signed Ferdinand from Leeds for �29.1m in 2002, said: "I couldn't have any more praise and admiration for him.
"He has had to come in and train with guys who have played international football, in the European Championship or the Champions League when he has been missing it.
"For a young lad that is a lot but how he has handled the situation is phenomenal. In their wisdom, the FA has prevented him playing in closed-door matches, so effectively it has been a nine-month ban, but Rio has come through it well."
England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson said last month that he would be "surprised" if Ferdinand was not in his squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Wales and Azerbaijan in October.
"Rio Ferdinand is one of the best players you can find in Europe or the world," said the Swede.
MMIX
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