Sir Alex Ferguson has been glowing in his praise of the defender, and could even offer him a behind the scenes role when his playing days are over.
In his attempts to persuade midfield prospect Paul Pogba to stay at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted Rio could be a crucial middle-party.
The manager told the Manchester Evening News, “Rio has become an important figure at the club. He is good with the players. He is good with the young players.”
It leads us to wonder if Ferguson is planning on offering the defender a role at the club when he eventually retires.
Rio is currently 33 and for the last two years has been coping with niggling injuries which have regularly forced him to miss a large amount of first team football.
Manchester United have several talented defenders at the club, Nemanja Vidic, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, and Jonny Evans, but rarely a day goes by when the club is not linked with further defensive reinforcements.
The latest names linked were Valencia’s Adil Rami and Dortmund’s Neven Subotic, with the latter touted by one newspaper as a Rio Ferdinand replacement.
Well we don’t see Ferdinand packing it in just yet.
If injuries are good to him, then he can continue playing for another two to three years at the top level.
With Ferguson acknowledging Rio’s off-pitch influence, assets and character he brings to the dressing room, he is unlikely to show him the door just yet.
Look at how the manager has remained loyal to Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. When Scholes announced his retirement, Ferguson gave him a behind the scenes coaching role at the club, so reluctant was he to lose him.
Ferdinand also attempted to take young Ravel Morrison under his wing, but even he was not able to convince the young talent to stay.
With Ferguson now aged 70, and young players nowadays rich beyond their wildest dreams before they even make the first team, the generation gap is obviously a difficult one to breach at times, when agents are attempting to influence their players behind the scenes.
He clearly sees Ferdinand as a trustworthy go-between who can be as valuable off the pitch as on it.
For this reason expect the defender to remain at Old Trafford until the end of his career and beyond.
He may have his business interests, owning an online magazine and a restaurant, but if he can already balance these with his playing career, an advisory or coaching role behind the scenes will be the perfect way for him to stay in football.
Should United keep Rio Ferdinand for the rest of his playing career and beyond?
images: © Paolo Camera, © Paolo Camera
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