Ferdinand wants to repay the loyalty shown to him by the club throughout his eight-month ban for a missed drugs test, and hopes to stay beyond the end of his new deal.

The 26-year-old was a target for United fans as his contract talks dragged on and admits he was hurt during a difficult few weeks.

He told The Sun: “It’s not nice when you are getting stick from some supporters, particularly over something that was never true.

“I will never forget how the club stood by me during my eight-month ban last year and of course it hurts to suggest I would throw that loyalty back in their face.

“I have got a thick skin and have always accepted that criticism is something which comes with the territory. You are up there to be shot at when you play for a club like Manchester United and it’s up to you to deal with it.

“But the supporters were reading all sorts of stuff about me that was totally wide of the mark and that has made things difficult in recent weeks.”

Ferdinand rejected suggestions he had turned down a £100,000 (€144,000)-a-week offer from United and demanded £120,000 (€173,000) a week.

“I don’t know where those stories came from but it was a load of rubbish. I can’t blame the fans for wondering what was going on. I would have asked the same questions if I was reading some of that stuff.

“The other Uited players were naturally asking me about developments. But I told them I would be staying at United and that was always my intention. I will be signing a new contract this week. The deal runs until 2009 but hopefully I can stay on beyond that.”