Sir Alex Ferguson believes Rio Ferdinand has been value for
money as he prepares to make his 200th appearance for Manchester
United.
Ferdinand, who joined United for a then British record of
£30million from Leeds in 2002, is in line to reach the milestone of
200 games for United against Charlton on Saturday.
Ferguson believes the England international has justified his
massive transfer fee during his time at Old Trafford and rates him
as the best defender in the world.
"It is hard to pick a better defender in the world than Rio," said
Ferguson.
"When he came to us, he was a player of enormous potential. That
was evident in everything you saw of him.
"He has always had fabulous technique, great pace and balance. He
is two-footed and 6ft 3in, so he has everything you would wish for
in a centre-half.
"But he also had moments when he was careless and he would give the
opposition a chance, because he was so relaxed.
"Thankfully, his maturity has brought that edge to his game where
he handles everything now.
"When I paid that kind of money for Rio we were looking for a
return in terms of getting 10 years' service out of him.
"Well, he has been here five years now - and we are looking at 10
to 12 years in total.
"He is happy here and he is on a good contract. The longer he is
here, the more it benefits us."
