Rod is a close friend of myself and my family. We formed a great working and personal relationship from my very first England cap, of which I went on to captain the England team.
Rod was a great masseur and for me not only great at his job but the things that people don’t see, like myself struggling with an injury before a big game at Wembley and Rod working late at night to make sure I was right for the game. I saw him do this with numerous players throughout my England career.
I was so impressed with how Rod worked and the way the players trusted him that I asked Chelsea if we could bring Rod to the club and they gave me the green light to speak to him, I was excited by this as captain of Chelsea, Rod would be an excellent addition to our backroom staff, I asked Rod one night over a coffee if he would be interested in joining us and there was an immediate answer of NO, and looking back I should have known because he was Man Utd through and through, and his response spoke volumes for me and the loyalty he showed was the reason I wanted him to come to Chelsea.
I have worked with some great people personally and professionally and Rod is right up there with the very best.
A genuine guy with a fantastic character and a great masseur.
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