Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand 'set for Man United exits'

Posted Monday, December 05, 2011 by Metro.co.uk

Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand may be sold in the summer transfer window, as part of Sir Alex Ferguson's plans to overhaul Manchester United's squad.

The central defensive pairing have been instrumental in the club's recent period of success, which has seen them win four Premier League titles in the past five seasons, together with the 2008 Champions League.

However, there have been some signs this term that both Vidic and Ferdinand are past their best and Ferguson now plans to offload them, reports the Sunday Times.

There will be no shortage of takers for Vidic, as Real Madrid, Juventus and super-rich Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala are all keen on the 30-year-old.

Ferdinand, 33, has attracted interest from his former club West Ham, but is also likely to be offered a lucrative contract to move to a Major League Soccer side in the US.

Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand 'set for Man United exits'
Nemanja Vidic may be in his final season at Old Trafford

The Red Devils already have readymade replacements in the squad, in the shape of England internationals Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, so Ferguson is unlikely to move for another big-name centre-back.