United To Give Rio A New Deal?

Interesting news from Old Trafford that Sir Alex Ferguson wants to extend Rio Ferdinand’s contract. The 33-year-old defender’s current contract expires next summer and there has been much speculation over whether he will be offered a new deal

But Ferguson, speaking ahead of the Champions League clash with Braga on Tuesday night, said:

“Rio can play for two or three years.
“He has different issues from Paul [Scholes] or Ryan [Giggs] in terms of injuries over the last couple of years. He is not as quick as he was but that is not a big problem because his experience is important.

“He is still a great footballer and, even at 33, there is no reason why he can’t stay on. We have always adopted that policy of offering one-year contracts, so we will see as the season progresses.

Interesting comments from SAF on a couple of different levels. One is that by giving Rio a new one-year deal that confirms that United are not a player in the Ashley Cole sweepstakes. I never thought they were, despite media speculation, but Rio and Cole split the dressing room, and SAF will not allow that to happen.

Also, by invoking United legends Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, who have been operating on one-year deals for quite a while now, there is no way that Rio can demand a multi-year deal, when those two are happy with a one-year deal. It is a smart way by the club to make sure that they do not have long-term money tied up in older player, without alienating the players who might want longer deals.