It’s often said that defenders don’t get the credit they deserve.

With the notable exception of Fabio Cannavaro in 2006, it has been very rare in recent years to see a defender nominated for a Player Of The Year award.

Now we can assume Rio Ferdinand will not win Manchester United’s Player of the Year gong. We all know which Portuguese winger will be picking that up, but the England centre-back deserves a huge mention for his commanding performances this season.

'Without Gary Neville for the whole season and Nemanja Vidic missing at times, Ferdinand has really moved up a gear and become the heartbeat of the side'


Take the Champions League first leg in Barcelona on Wednesday, for example. Ferdinand was imperious, commanding his defence and making vital tackles. His performance bought back memories of the epic display in Rome when he marshalled the back four superbly and helped United to a clean sheet and ultimately the semi-finals.

If you’d have suggested Ferdinand as a potential England captain in August, I would have laughed it off. But through this season he has developed a lot as a player, leading by example with some dominating performances.

His superb season has also coincided with a mixed campaign for his rival for the captaincy, John Terry. Ferdinand has surely moved up the pecking order for the England armband and cemented his place as first choice centre-back. Terry, on the other hand, has had a campaign blighted by injuries and also suffered the blow at Chelsea of losing Jose Mourinho, a manager he was known to be close to, whilst other incidents on the pitch have not helped his reputation.

I don’t think Ferdinand would have been a surprise choice in the nominations for PFA Player Of The Season, but he will no doubt appear in the Team Of The Season when it is announced. It’s no coincidence that his club have conceded the lowest number of goals in the league and Ferdinand has started more games than anyone else. Could you show me a better centre back in the Premier League this season? Or even in Europe?

Without Gary Neville for the whole season and Nemanja Vidic missing at times (Wednesday night for example), Ferdinand has really moved up a gear and become the heartbeat of the side. If you think of the vital performances Manchester United have achieved this season, the chances are that Rio was at the heart of them.

Think of the games against Arsenal in the FA Cup and League at Old Trafford, Liverpool in the league and those two epic performances in Europe; Ferdinand has helped Manchester United to some vital results.

If you asked me which United player I think they would miss the most against Barcelona at Old Trafford on Tuesday night I wouldn’t say Cristiano Ronaldo or Wayne Rooney, I’d say Rio.