Age is nothing but a number they say.
’30/40/50 is the new 20? is the a line often thrown out as well, but as much as people try to dressing up ageing, there is a point where you can no longer hide the fact that you are getting old.
This week we saw the return of 37 year old Paul Scholes and apart from lacking match fitness, he went about his business like he never left. Ryan Giggs is another senior citizen that is still pulling strings in the team but only after adapting his game.
With these players in mind, unfortunately I don’t foresee a similar outcome with Rio Ferdinand .
I’m a huge Ferdinand fan, I would put him down as one of the finest defenders we have had at Old Trafford and when he was getting stick earlier in the season I attributed it to him shaking off the rust he had accrued whilst out injured. Initially it looked like this was the case and he got back to performing competently but more injuries have disrupted his season and thus brought about more disjointed performances.
Earlier in the season, in light of the emergence of Smalling and Jones, Sir Alex was asked if Vidic and Ferdinand were still first choice? And although he didn’t go as far as as saying no, his Ferdinand – centric response let you know that he too had notice a decline in the defender.
Physically these things happen, although I’m just 23 I can tell that my body doesn’t feel as good as it did at 18/19, and with Ferdinand now 33 he must really be feeling the effects of playing in one of Europe’s most demanding leagues. Something compounded by the fact that as soon as he hit 30, all of the injuries that he had apparently avoided during his career appeared to sneak up on him. Injuries have wreaked havoc on his career in the past few seasons and the numbers prove it.