Rio Ferdinand - Stick or Twist? Assessing his future at United.

Rio Ferdinand is entering a pivotal season in his Manchester United career. For just about the first time, his position at the club is being called into question but is this conundrum fair on a player who was once one of the world's leading defenders?

Manchester United's flying start to the season (three wins if you include the Community Shield) has been notable for the inclusion of a nucleus of younger players. They have added a vibrancy and verve to a squad still brooding on the footballing lesson handed out to them by Barcelona for the second time in three years back in May. Has their introduction to the limelight been a coincidence or is it Sir Alex Ferguson's way of attempting to rid the club of the demons from Wembley? Has the boss's patience finally snapped with some of the older, established stars in the squad and coupled with the retirement of Scholes, Van Der Sar and Neville, does he feel that it is now a case of "out with the old and in with the new"?

The pretenders to the throne of King Rio are Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans. The former has re-invented himself somewhat during pre-season with a switch to right back which although will be a temporary measure, will enable the former Maidstone and Fulham defender to gain much needed experience and a new perspective in the dark arts of being a defender. Phil Jones was bought from under the noses of all our main title rivals having been earmarked as a potential signing back in November 2010. The 19 year old has settled into United life almost seamlessly and looks to have all the attributes required in a modern defender. Evans has returned after a mixed spell last season saw him lose confidence. Recent showings appear to suggest he has banished the odd horror display from his system and he clearly returned in pre-season with a point to prove to the manager and fans alike.

The first inkling of a potential changing of the guard came at the curtain raiser to the new season, the Community Shield at Wembley. In a pre-planned move, Ferdinand and Vidic were withdrawn at half time despite the unjust scoreline in the favour of local rivals Manchester City. On to the pitch in their place strode Jones and Evans alongside Smalling who was already in situ at right back. Neutral observers rubbed their eyes at the potential train wreck they were about to witness. Were City about to strike a psychological dagger to the hearts of United fans thus laying down a marker that they will be more than just noisy neighbours in the league campaign to come? What transpired however, was something very different and was almost liberating to observe. With an average age of 23, this new United with Welbeck, De Gea and Cleverley supplementing the youth quota tore into a lethargic and complacent City and came away with not only the trophy but a new found confidence in their ability. But, perhaps more significantly, did it plant a thought in Sir Alex's mind that he could no longer hold back the aforementioned youthful talent?

Clearly the boss will continue to use the experienced members of our squad throughout the season as it is unlikely you will win anything with kids is it?! But from this ever decreasing list, who is most at risk? Somewhat surprisingly, I think the player with most to fear could be Rio Ferdinand.

Let us assess the evidence. In his first seven seasons at the club, he averaged nearly 44 games a season and this takes into account 2003-04 where he only managed 27 appearances thanks to his drugs ban (more of which later). In the last two seasons, he has averaged just 25 games as a series of niggling injuries have disrupted his progress and led to a significant period on the sidelines. By the sounds of it, Ferdinand suffers from a long term back condition which can flare up at any time and he is now of an age where he has to do extra training to support this ailment. His increasing years also mean he takes longer to recover from injuries and general knocks. Where in his mid 20's he could shrug off a minor niggle and still perform, nowadays it means a 2 week spell on the treatment table.

While he has always been a terrific reader of the game, his speed across the ground is not at the same level as his speed of mind. Back in his pomp, he had everything you wish for in a central defender. His one deficiency was his frequent lapses in concentration but his recovery speed was such that it usually papered over any such mistakes as observers marvelled at his ability to rescue a situation. As the recent years injuries have piled up, they look to have taken something of a toll on his speed of movement demonstrated by occasional instances of being beaten for pace by forwards such as Bellamy and Torres. The Ferdinand glide across the turf has been superseded by a slightly more laboured version which, although far from being a liability in any shape or form, has made his decision making and positioning his key attributes in recent years.

Perhaps my main cause for concern regarding the former West Ham and Leeds centre back is his increasing off-field commitments which would some would cite as an example of how he has taken his eye off the ball in the last couple of seasons. "Rio Ferdinand" the brand if you did not already know it, is in full swing. A magazine, a massive Twitter following, a record label and even a film producer role have all combined to keep the player in the public eye as he looks to his future away from football. His role as producer and financial backer of the movie "Dead Man Running" starring "actor" Danny Dyer drew widespread condemnation seeing as it appeared to promote gun crime to the very group of youngsters that he was trying to deter from such a life in his home borough of Peckham. Whilst his work in the community should be applauded, as he uses his role model status to try to teach the youth in the area right from wrong, he undid a lot of the good work he had done by being involved with this film project that flopped at the box office incidentally. The final straw for me came when he decided to bring out a range of t-shirts bearing the tiresome phrase "stay on your feet" picked up from a Ray Wilkins commentary of a Champions League tie earlier this year. To milk his impressionable fans to this extent while allegedly only giving a small proportion of proceeds to charity smacked of arrogance and exploitation.

It is well documented that Rio can be a little bit dozy at times.This is best illustrated by his infamous missed drug test in 2003 which he claimed to have forgotten to attend as he was "preoccupied with moving house and instead went shopping". His eventual eight month ban from football in January 2004 was deemed harsh in many quarters due to the precedent set by Manchester City's Christian Negouai who was fined just £2000. In reality, the City player was stuck in traffic on his way to the test while Rio was charged with "failure or refusal" to take the test. Both the FA and FIFA deemed the "offence" suitable to demand a 12 month ban but a compromise was reached that meant the player missed out on Euro 2004 into the bargain.

While certain aspects of this case could be classed as unfortunate, one of the downsides to being a professional footballer is the requirement to be regularly tested and the player disregarded this and paid a heavy penalty. The ban would no doubt have strained relations with the boss at the time as it appeared completely avoidable and robbed Ferguson of one of his key players in the run in to the end of the season. It will be why the manager will keep a close eye on his off-field activities as any indication that it is affecting his on-field performances will surely only lead to one outcome. Ferguson has showed many times over the years that he is not a man that you cross and expect to recover from. There are numerous examples over the last 25 years of this and Ferdinand will do well to watch his step, especially as he reaches an age where he may become expendable.

So that is the case for the prosecution m'lud now onto the case for the defence.You may have got the impression from my words above that I am not a Rio Ferdinand fan. This assumption is not true. As a player I am and always have been, a massive admirer of his ability and effortless poise on a football field. In some respects, he can make the game look easy as the combination of pace and his reading of the game means he is often one step ahead of his opponent.

What is indisputable is that at his best he was up there with the very best centre backs in the world. He has made 357 appearances so far for United and racked up 81 caps for England since making his debut against Cameroon back in 1997. His crowning glory as a member of the national side arguably came in the 2002 World Cup where he followed up an excellent season with Leeds with some majestic performances in South Korea. Although England inevitably fell short at the highest level, the same could not be said of the purring Rolls Royce engine installed in the Peckham born defender. This level of ability persuaded the United board to part with nearly £30 million after a protracted spell of negotiation (sound familiar?!) with Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale.

Where I think Rio can put more of his energies off-field is in acting as a mentor for the younger defenders at the club. While there is little doubt they have all the talent and ability required to succeed at the highest level, as yet they do not have the experience. Ferdinand has suffered pretty much all of the highs and lows that football can offer and this level of know-how is very difficult to teach. Who better for Jones, Evans and Smalling to learn from than someone who has been there, done it and missed the drugs test? Whether that is by watching him from the bench or by spending time in his company talking about what it is like to live in a 24/7 goldfish bowl, it is the kind of knowledge that you cannot find just anywhere. If he was lucky enough to remain with the club over the next few years then there could be a definite "passing on the baton" scenario where the younger players are slowly immersed into the team ethos which makes any transition much smoother than simply the club cutting their ties with the player. As has been mentioned many times before, when you leave Manchester United, invariably it is a step down in your career and Ferdinand may be happy to stick around and play out his twilight years dispensing his knowledge. He does not strike me as someone who will be happy to drop down to a lower level.

However, in order to remain at the club, he must convince the hierarchy that his "Brand Ferdinand" juggernaut does not become a distraction. I see great value in Rio staying at the club for the foreseeable future for all the reasons mentioned above as the younger generation cannot be expected to carry the club on their shoulders for at least another season. What may count against him is if the number of injuries incurred continues to escalate when it comes to the business end  of the season and the manager feels that he can no longer rely on his presence. Ferguson has shown countless times in the past that he is a firm believer in the mantra that if you are good enough then you are old enough and he will not be afraid to place his faith in youth when the time is right.

My advice to Ferdinand therefore, is to #stayonhisfeet (and on his toes) and not become a "Dead Man Walking". While the youth influx at United is heart warming and a joy to behold, the plain facts of the matter are that we need Rio and most certainly his partner Vidic at the centre of our defence for the foreseeable future as the manager steers our path through the minefield that is the 2011/12 season. Do not be surprised however, if we see a lesser reliance on these two over the course of the season. Ferguson will know that he has to give youth its head and holding them back can only be counter-productive. I would expect to see games where Vidic is paired with Smalling or Jones and Ferdinand with Jones or Evans as they look to instil the United mentality deep into their soul in anticipation they will remain firmly rooted at the club for many years to come.

Do you agree with my thoughts on the future of Rio Ferdinand? Please leave your comments below and I will respond to each one.

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