Ferguson expects golden oldies to keep on shining

Sir Alex Ferguson has challenged his elder statesmen at Manchester United to extend their glittering Old Trafford careers beyond the end of next season.

Long-serving defender Gary Neville, who turned 34 on Wednesday, penned a new contract extension on Friday which will keep him at the club until June 2010.

Neville followed in the footsteps of Ryan Giggs, the club’s most decorated player, and Paul Scholes, who have also committed themselves to the end of next season.

The thirtysomethings boast a combined age of 103 and are in the twilight of their careers.

Yet Ferguson, chasing his third successive Premier League title, believes all three still have something to offer the team and is reluctant to show them the door.

“If they keep their performance levels up then they will be here for another year, there’s no doubt about that,” said Ferguson. “We’ll see what happens next year.”

Giggs, Scholes and Neville are all products of United’s famous youth Academy and have never played anywhere else in their careers.

Their loyalty has not gone unnoticed by Ferguson, who labelled the trio as the “spirit” of Manchester United and a glowing example for the younger generation of players emerging at the club.

“I think there are a lot of players in the country who are quite wealthy who don’t want to put themselves through the whole process of pre-season training,” added Ferguson.

“But these three players seem to want to do that all the time. It speaks volumes for their own desires that they want to keep involved with Manchester United for as long as they can.

“They are the spirit of the club and they are an example to everyone.”

Although Ferguson is no longer able to guarantee his old guard a starting place in every game, all three are set to feature in some capacity over the coming days as United’s pursuit of an unprecedented five trophies in one season enters a crucial phase.

Jose Mourinho and Inter Milan await Ferguson’s Club World Cup winners when the Champions League resumes on Tuesday and then it is off to Wembley to face Tottenham in the League Cup final on March 1.

Yet despite winning it 10 times in the past, it is the Premier League that Ferguson, whose team are also in the last eight of the FA Cup, craves the most.

But the Scot believes his players have a long way to go before they can celebrate their latest league triumph.

“You can’t forget the chances we missed at West Ham when we only needed one goal to win the league in 1995,” Ferguson said.

“Then there was the 12-point lead over Arsenal that we threw away in 1998.

“It was a foregone conclusion until the beginning of March when injuries played their part.

“When you lose a game it gives the chasing team encouragement. These are great reminders to us.

“My feeling is we should never get carried away because this game can kick you in the teeth.

“We can go the distance but we just have to make sure we keep our focus because every game for us now is a must-win situation.”