Rio won't get carried away

"It is testament to the club, and the medical and science department for helping me along. I am just happy to be playing consistently week in, week out. If the manager needs me to play during the week, that is fine as well. I am more than capable of doing that as I have proved over the past 18 months."

Ferdinand feels a settled defence will ensure things tighten up at the back as the squad have been working hard on becoming more difficult to break down.

"I just think no matter what goes on with the team, when you have a bit of stability in terms of personnel, results start forming a bit more consistently," he explained. "The manager has not been able to do that this season with players getting injured in various different areas. That is what it has been like for about 18 months.

"We have not been able to find the same level of consistency and put the same team out every week. That is unfortunate when you play so many games and are in the later stages of tournaments. You have to be able to deal with that and we do it better than anyone else.

"We are working on keeping clean sheets and defending as a team. I have seen good signs in the last few weeks. We are getting a better shape, becoming harder to break down and conceding fewer chances. It is only a matter of time before you start seeing a consistent run of clean sheets."

Rio Ferdinand was speaking to Talksport, PA Sport, BBC Radio Manchester and ManUtd.com.

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