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."
