Rio Ferdinand was left confused by Jamie Carragher's "clown" comment after AC Milan's 2-0 defeat against Inter Milan in the Champions League last Wednesday.
Carragher hit out at Ferdinand's opinion regarding a penalty that was awarded to Inter at the San Siro. The referee initially gave a spot-kick after Lautaro Martinez was fouled inside the box, before VAR overturned the decision.
Despite VAR's intervention, Ferdinand still felt it was a "stonewall" penalty, as did ex-Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, but Carragher decided to slam Ferdinand for his viewpoints. This was because he was a defender, compared to Gerrard who was "an attacking player."
Carragher said: "I think anyone out there who is watching the replay and seeing what VAR do and still believe that is a penalty, they must be a clown." The 45-year-old singled out Ferdinand for having that opinion when asked.
Now, former Manchester United ace Ferdinand has responded and believes he wasn't sure why Carragher decided to slam him. But he did admit the comments would be discussed further when the pair meet.
He said on his FIVE podcast: "Every time I see him it's all love man. I’m a loving guy, we hug and we shake hands and have a little laugh.
"I don't understand why he came in with hostility, it's a hostile energy and I don’t understand it. He’s been on our show, we see each other and it's all cool. He used to carry my boots when we were with England, he always showed me love.
Do you think it was a penalty? Let us know in the comments below!
"The thing that might have been, it was [ Premier League ] Hall of Fame week, that's the only thing I can think of because me and him are cool. We chat, sometimes text, I just don't get it man. I've only got good energy for him.
"He's always messaging me, that's what I'm saying, it’s madness to me. He always messages me, we’ve been in England teams together, like I said he carries my boots. He’s always shown me love.
"I don’t know where that energy has come from and that's all
I want him to tell me is where that energy comes from. Is it real energy or not? I need to know so when I see him I'll ask him.'"
Carragher responded to his former international teammate with a meme of former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys infamously saying "it was just banter".
It's not the first time Carragher and Ferdinand have found themselves on opposite sides of the fence, most often clashing over the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo during his ill-fated second spell at Man United.
The pair most recently clashed when Carragher described current Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk as "far better" than Nemanja Vidic, Ferdinand's old centre-back partner at United.
