Rio Ferdinand not ready to quit ahead of Manchester United testimonial

• Posted on August 9, 2013August 9, 2013
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The 34-year-old defender wants to stay at Old Trafford for as long as he can and admits he originally only expected to be at the club for three or four years before moving abroad

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand says he still has the passion to win trophies and intends to continue playing for the club he loves for as long as possible.

The 34-year-old, who will play in his testimonial match on Friday against Sevilla, signed a new one-year contract this summer with the option of a further year, and has no intention of calling time on his Old Trafford career just yet.

“For as long as my body allows me to, I’ll keep playing,” Ferdinand is quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror. “And for as long as I can stay at Manchester United then I will stay there.

“When I looked at pictures as I looked towards the testimonial, it evoked old memories and has relit those fires a little bit in terms of being able to win things, get those emotions back.

“Whether I can do it, we’ll have to wait and see. But it does definitely light fires within you that you want to continue, I’ve still got that burning passion to want to achieve and win things.”

Ferdinand joined United from Leeds for a fee reaching £34 million in 2002 but the former England international admits he never expected to be at the club for so long.

“I could see myself at a club for ten years which wasn’t as big and as prestigious as Manchester United. But to do it at Manchester United is just crazy to think about. I never believed it, I never even thought about it, if I’m honest.

“I thought I would be at United for a couple of years, maybe three or four, and then go abroad somewhere. But I just fell in love with Manchester United. I fell in love with winning, fell in love with the history of the club and being part of it was something I could never have imagined.”

GOAL