/world sport
MANCHESTER, England -- Rio Ferdinand is close to agreeing a new contract at Manchester United, according to Old Trafford manager Alex Ferguson.
England international Ferdinand has two years to go on his current contract with Manchester United.
Ferguson said: "Negotiations have been on-going for a few weeks now and I don't think we are far away now.
"It's never easy negotiating contracts nowadays, but Rio has been outstanding in recent weeks for us. Against Roma in midweek, his intelligence in possession and pace were very important for us."
The 29-year-old England defender has two years left on his current deal.
Ferguson has also been relieved to learn that Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic should be back in three weeks after suffering a knee injury during the 2-0 Champions League win in Rome.
Vidic and Ferdinand have been key figures in a United defense that has conceded just 15 league goals all season and there were initial fears that the forrmer Spartak Moscow man might miss the rest of the season.
Ferguson said: "Nemanja will be a loss, but we can cope because Mikael Silvestre and Gary Neville are fit again and we also have John O'Shea and Gerard Pique. We are well covered, so if we can't cope, there is something wrong."
United travel to Middlesbrough on Sunday aiming to maintain their lead at the top of the Premiership, and their title rivals Chelsea and Arsenal face difficult games against Manchester City and Liverpool respectively 24 hours earlier.
Ferguson said: "The most important thing now is that we do our own job because we have come to the stage of the season where every game is as good as a league decider.
"We only have two home games left to play, with away games at Boro, Blackburn, Chelsea and Wigan, so we know we have to make sure our away form stays strong.
"We are approaching the finishing line, so there is not a long time to go. But sometimes in title races, the end can seem like a lifetime away.
"Nerves are going to play a part and there will be shocks, but we just have to stay consistent because the team that is most consistent will win the league." E-mail to a friend 
| Most Viewed | Most Emailed |
From the Blogs: 
Sit tight, we're getting to the good stuff
