'They are in trouble': Rio Ferdinand's worrying warning about Leeds to Robbie Keane just before Man United transfer

Rio Ferdinand sent a chilling warning to former Leeds team-mate Robbie Keane, warning him of the club's impending financial ruin.

The pair spent time together at Elland Road during David O'Leary's tenure as boss and with leeds fighting for national and European honors.

While the Whites seemed to be heading for greater heights on the pitch, unbeknownst to many, financial difficulties were lurking beneath the surface.

Leeds had a young team of stars such as Keane, Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell and Robbie Fowler.

Their midfield consisted of Alan Smith, Olivier Dacourt, David Batty and Lee Bowyer, while the promising Ferdinand led the Leeds defense alongside Lucas Radebe and Jonathan Woodgate.

A fourth place behind Champions manchester united, Arsenal and Liverpool in the 2000/01 season it was seen as a stepping stone towards an eventual title fight with Sir Alex Ferguson's men.

And the signs were good if we are guided by European performances.

Leeds were one match away from traveling to the San Siro to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, but a 3-0 defeat in the second leg of their semi-final against Valencia proved to be a step too far. for O'Leary's 'babies'.

With momentum on their side and fans excited ahead of the new 2001/02 season, things began to fall apart behind the scenes.

The club's success in building a young team capable of competing in the latter stages of European competitions came at a huge monetary cost, with a level of spending exceeding that of the other 19 Premier League clubs.

Financial mismanagement saw the club's debt level rise to a whopping £119 million after spending huge sums on transfer fees and player wages.

Leeds were forced to offload some of their brightest talents, including Ferdinand and Keane, with Manchester United and Tottenham the beneficiaries of the West Yorkshire club's plight.

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Keane is convinced Leeds would have met their silverware targets if they had kept their stars together.

“If we had stayed a couple more years, we would definitely have gained something,” Keane told his former teammate Ferdinand on a recent episode of Rio Ferdinand Presents.

“I remember being in the car with you and Mr. Alex Ferguson I called you to go to Man United. In fact you told me that my agent was following me. Leeds are in trouble. They are in financial problems.

“They need to sell players quickly to get money and you (Ferdinand) were the first, you bought £19m or something like that. I think I went for eight or ten million to Leeds.

“And that was the beginning. I was discouraged that you went to Man United. At that time they were the top, but I thought if we had stayed together we would have won something.”

Leeds failed to qualify for the Champions League following Ferdinand's move to Old Trafford and Keane's move to Tottenham.

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The club could no longer support debt payments without ticket sales from Champions League nights generating more player sales.

leeds They were eventually relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2003/04 campaign.