What type of reception can he expect from the Leeds faithful?

Ferdinand will be the centre of attention at Elland Road following his controversial �29.1m move to Old Trafford.

He says he is expecting a hot reception when makes his return in the red of arch-rivals Man Utd, and former team-mate Alan Smith has warned him that he will be "hammered" by the Leeds fans.

Will you be at Elland Road on Saturday? And if so, will you be jeering or cheering when Rio takes to the field?

This debate is now closed. A selection of your e-mails appear below.

The Leeds fans are angry because they expected some loyalty. They'll give him a hard time, but that's all - not the big deal the press are trying to make it. Regarding Rio, he must now be wondering if he made the right move - maybe he'll ask to join Arsenal in January.
Vinny Ramone, UK

Rio has the right to work for whom he chooses. The Leeds fans have the right to make their feelings heard and they will certainly do that on Saturday.
Chris, UK

If Jonathan Woodgate is a better player than Rio then he will also join Man Utd. Rio joined Man Utd because we are the biggest club in the world, not because we pay him what he deserves. Leeds are our feeder club.
Matt, England

The issue for me is how the transfer took place. During the World Cup he said he wanted to stay at the club. Upon his return he put in a transfer request. Just 18 months into a five-year contract and the club skipper, he showed no feelings for the club or fans. He is a very good player but deserves everything he gets tomorrow - come on you whites.
Darren, Yorkshire, England

If any of you lot criticising Rio were offered 30% more salary in a larger organisation to do the same job, would you turn it down? Tune into the real world.
Sunil, UK

Perhaps if the so called Leeds fans on here who "can't make it to the game" actually turned up at Elland road once in a while, Leeds wouldn't have had to sell their prize asset to stave off financial worries.
Cimbom, Turkey

I think the Leeds fans should give Rio a rousing reception. His sale brought in a whopping �30m - and cut Leeds' debt in one go. If he hadn't gone, Leeds would have been forced to strip the team to cover their debt - selling Bowyer, Kewell, etc. - and their fans could kiss goodbye any chance of a trophy for years to come.
Phil, England

Expecting Leeds fans to be different from any other fans when it comes to greeting players they deem disloyal is an exercise in frustration. Of course they will give him the sort of greeting we have come to expect. It hardly matters what the fans think anyway because football is now far less a sport than a business.
Tim, UK

It's interesting to hear all these comments from so called Reds fans down south. Rio deserves to get some grief from Leeds fans - the only reason he went was because of the money. Man Utd have had their time and will be lucky to get into the Uefa Cup this season.

Rio should have stayed if he wanted to win anything. We have a young side full of internationals and in Robinson we have the England number one for a long time to come. Smithy will become a legend and Rio can learn from Woody when they play for England. Roll on Saturday!
Matt, Leeds

Rio will come through the game unscathed. Childish chanting is nothing new when it comes to Leeds fans, and at least now he is at a club recognised around the world.
Blado, Manchester

Mossy (below), there is nothing childish about expecting a degree of loyalty from players who benefit directly from the support we give them. Thank goodness for football that the fans have a bit more stickability when their clubs need it most.

It's not like Rio was marginalised by Leeds or his opportunities were being limited. He simply felt the grass would be greener - and the paycheque bigger - on the other side of the Pennines. He deserves what's coming his way tomorrow, and I hope it comes in the form of a thumping Leeds win.
Ed, UK

Of course he's going to get a really bad reaction from the Leeds fans, and as a Man Utd supporter I encourage this. Let the fans and the Leeds players have a dig - it just shows how much they miss him and what an asset he is to any team that he plays for.

I just hope that Rio gets on the end of one of the many corners Man Utd are obviously going to have. 1-0 to the Reds with Rio the scorer - I'll be giggling like a school girl all weekend!
Julian, England

I wonder how many of the so-called Man Utd fans who are having a say on here will be at Elland Road tomorrow to cheer Ferdinand on - none. Notice they all live hundreds of miles from Manchester! At school we used to call people like that trophy hunters. The same people will be Arsenal supporters next week.
Tommy, Leeds

Hark at all the bitter Leeds fans. Woodgate is not a bad player, but he's no Rio. They needed the money, since the club has failed to make any progress in Europe. Rio wants a successful career, and although Leeds aren't a bad side they're no Man United.
AL, Twickenham, England

Rio deserves to get hammered at Elland Road - the way he left the club was an absolute disgrace. He basically stated that Leeds weren't big enough for him after his performances at the World Cup went to his head.

Woody and Matteo have done a great job, and given time they will be one of the best defensive duos in the Premiership. Come on Leeds, give Rio and his prawn sandwich eating followers a good seeing to tomorrow and that will really make my day.
Sam, Leeds

The point that everyone seems to be missing is that Leeds didn't put Rio up for sale - Rio asked for a transfer. You can't keep a player if he wants to leave, and the reason Leeds fans will be so hostile towards him is because he asked to leave so he could join that team over the Pennines.
Rochelle, England

The Leeds fans on this forum seem to have their heads stuck well and truly in the sand. Ferdinand joined Leeds to further his career, and West Ham cashed in big time. Ferdinand joined Manchester United to further his career and Leeds cashed in when he was at his most valuable (after a successful WC).

If Leeds fans want to blame anybody, then blame your chairman. It was him that was greedy enough to sell him and unprofessional enough to criticise him afterwards. Having said that, he sold at the perfect time and by all accounts saved the club from going to the wall.
Joe, UK

Speaking as a West Ham fan I don't think the Leeds fans should give Rio a hard time. As with his move from the Hammers, it's the board who decide who stays and who goes.

I never held his moving to Leeds against him and he always got a good reception at Upton Park. Leeds fans should be counting the money that's been put into their club and laughing. Rio is a top player, good luck to him!
John, UK

Much has been said about the hypocrisy of Leeds being upset that Rio left. I believe Rio did all he could for West Ham, but did not do the same for Leeds, and deserves every boo he gets.
Michael Flack, US

It's just a media event. Of course the Leeds fans will give Rio some abuse, and why not? It always happens. No big deal as the media appears to think.
Ron Childs, Canada

I think the best thing Leeds fans could do is to ignore Rio - I think that would hurt a lot more than booing him every time he touched the ball. In addition, I believe that at the end of the season Man Utd will be forced to admit how much of a boo-boo they made with Rio's signing, as they still won't win this season.

With the money they paid for him they could have had two decent defenders, a very good striker and a good midfielder - which is proving to be what they need right now. Leeds fans should leave Rio, as his new club's destruct button was depressed the minute they bought him.
Biodun, Nigeria

When I boo Rio at Elland Road tomorrow, it won't be because he joined Man Utd. It'll be because he lied about the whole thing from day one, telling the club and the fans he was happy at Leeds and was going nowhere.
Bob, Leeds, UK

Rick from Surrey (below) is typical of most Man Utd fans. So little understanding of the passion in football, and you come from the right place to support the Reds.

If you ask to leave Leeds for Man Utd you know what is coming on your return, and if Rio doesn't like it, tough! Ironically, Leeds were a better team before he came, and the Champions league was achieved without him. Woodgate makes fewer mistakes than Rio, and is just as good.
Mick, UK

The taunts of "Judas", however predictable, will be nicely tinged with irony following Leeds' own expensive scoop of Rio from West Ham a year or so previously. Not that that will be a factor for the Leeds supporters.

Putting Rio's return into context, however, it will be difficult to match the return of Sol Campbell to White Hart Lane. And in that sense, perhaps this issue is some kind of tradition that is maintained because supporters feel themselves betrayed - Utterly childish.
Mossy, UK

Why should Leeds fans boo Ferdinand? The club made �12m on the deal and made Alex Ferguson to look a fool in the process! He stated that he had been tracking him for many years and did a great bit of business allowing Leeds to make such a profit! Besides, Woodgate is a better player.
Brian Wadsworth, England

I won't be at the match but I am confident that Alan Smith and Lee Bowyer will represent my views.
Tim Andrews, UK

If, as Joe (below) says, Woodgate is a better player, why are the Leeds fans so up in arms about his move? They made a massive profit, and it probably stopped them form bankruptcy. The worst fans in the world can do their worst, but it won't change the fact that they'll still be behind Man Utd at the end of the season.
Martin, Ireland

Rest assured Rio will get the reaction he deserves. I genuinely think that Leeds will do just as well with Woodgate and Matteo at the back as they would have done if Rio had have stayed. Man Utd didn't think Rio was good enough when we bought him only two years ago, so we'll just wait and see who proves himself to be the better player - Woody or Rio.
Jason, Leeds

Why should Leeds fans show any hostility to Rio or Man Utd? Without the �30m United paid them they might have been in the hands of the receiver by now. Leeds fans should give United a standing ovation and thank them for saving their club from ruin.
Richard, England

Give Rio a break. He has the right to choose where he plays, and he did a lot of good for Leeds.
Genpuku Taro, Japan

I'm a Man Utd fan and of course I'll be fully behind Rio. He is the best defender in the world, and I'm just glad Ridsdale was stupid enough to sell him to us! But I also understand that the Leeds fans will want their chance to have a go at him - that's the beauty of football. Don't blame Rio, blame your "money-hungry" owners!
Simon Marner, Drumaness, N Ireland

I don't think the Leeds fans should give Rio a hard time - it was the Leeds directors who agreed to sell him. And as for talking about loyalty, what hypocrites they are! They didn't seem to think loyalty mattered when he left West Ham.
Carole Hicks, UK

Rio doesn't deserve to get "hammered" by anyone. Football is football, and he made a choice to benefit his career. No offence to Leeds, but they are no Man Utd, and Rio has gone somewhere that will raise his stature into the world game.
Jon Rouse, England

Due to work I can't make the game, but I hope the lads make his life hell. It would make my millennium if Leeds won due to a Ferdinand mistake. I doubt if Ferdinand will be able to see the ball with all those pound signs flashing before his eyes. Come on the lads.
Jimmy, Yorkshire

Rio will get a reception on a par with any team visiting Galatasaray, but he's a true professional and he will not let it affect his performance. Leeds fans are just gutted they've the best defender around.
Jon Baylis, Manchester,

Rio cannot have it both ways. He was given his big chance by David O'Leary and loved by the fans. By defecting over the Pennines he has made his bed. He went purely because of greed - but how much money does someone need?

Leeds are a growing young team and Rio was at the helm of something big, so career-wise I think it was a poor move. I watched every game with Rio last season and, pound for pound, Jonathan Woodgate is a superior player - quicker, better first touch and less prone to mistakes.
Joe, UK

I don't think it will bother Rio Ferdinand whatever his reception. The guy has already proved he's one cool customer with bundles of ability. He'll just be concentrating on his game and ensuring that the Reds take all three points.

As far as I'm concerned Rio has abandoned a sinking ship and done what anyone else would do in his position. I just hope we really rub salt in their wounds and make an audacious bid for Alan Smith too. C'mon the Reds!
Rick, Surrey