Fergie Backs Rio for Captain

Sir Alex Ferguson is confident Rio Ferdinand will see out the prime of his career at Manchester United and says he could well make captain in the near future.

The defender, who was recently named in the FIFPro team of the year, has been at the heart of United's defence since signing for the club from Leeds for £29.1million fee in the summer of 2002.

Ferguson believes his star player will continue his career with the Red Devils after more than six successful years with the club. "Rio's best years are in front of him," said Ferguson. "He is easily going to play for the next five years. He looks after himself and he is very fit so I would expect him to be here for that length of time."

"Rio has leadership qualities and we are really starting to see maturity in his game," said Ferguson. "We always knew that he was good at taking the ball out of defence because he has such wonderful balance and great pace. Now we are seeing more edge to his game and more of a contribution in terms of being voluble towards his team-mates. He is much better at that.