Rio Ferdinand has admitted he cannot imagine Manchester
United without Sir Alex Ferguson.
The centre-back has described Ferguson as the 'lifeline' at Old
Trafford and has credited his manager for United's success.
Ferguson had planned to retire in 2002, but decided to continue at
the helm and Ferdinand, who signed for United that year, hopes his
boss will carry on for a long time to come.
"I cannot imagine life at Manchester United without Sir Alex," said
Ferdinand. "He brought me here and I just hope he does not retire
while I'm still about.
"He still has a great passion, desire and pride, is the lifeline of
the club and has been since he arrived.
"I cannot think what the club would be without him."
The England defender has also praised the rebuilding job Ferguson
has done at United in order to bring the club back to the top of
the Premier League.
By lifting the title last season United ended three campaigns
without the crown, where they had been beaten to the silverware
once by Arsenal and twice by Chelsea, and Ferdinand says that the
return to glory is all down to Ferguson.
"The team we had when I first came here was on a downward slope in
terms of age," Ferdinand added. "We weren't contenders
anymore.
"The manager knew he had to do some reshuffling and has done it
admirably.
"The manager trusted his judgement as did his management team and
the board.
"He always had faith in what he was doing and we stuck by him."
