The 25-year-old centre-half looked to have no future at the Stadium of Light after a training ground row with Bruce last month and was close to joining Serie A side Palermo on loan. However, after the move to Italy failed to go through, the pair sat down and reconciled their differences. And after the former West Ham man made his first Premier League appearance of the season in the 1-0 win over Manchester City, Bruce is insisting that Ferdinand is very much part of his plans. "He's back in the frame," Bruce told the Northern Echo. "Sometimes you have a row at work, it happens. But the one thing I'll never do is bear a grudge. "We pay his wages, he came back into the team and played very well so he'll be in contention for Wigan (on Saturday). "He's still got a future here because he's our player. He's not gone anywhere and if and when he's required, he'll play."
