'When the manager leaves is up to him but whenever it is, it is going to be difficult in all respects,' He said.
'He has got a genuine love of the game and it would be tough for anybody, who has been so successful, and whose desire to win things is so strong, just to walk away from the game.
'I am pretty sure when he does go, he will want it to be on a winning note but the boss will always have a presence here no matter what, purely because of what he has achieved.
'But when he first goes, it will be very eerie around here and something I don't really want to think about.'
'When we came in at half-time against
'The first 20 minutes were brilliant but he was unhappy we didn't continue the way we had been playing in that spell throughout the whole half. That tells you exactly where he is coming from.'
Stating the obvious.
'Anybody who looks at his CV and the way he conducts himself will have the utmost respect for him anyway,' said Ferdinand, who cost United £29.1million from
'He has been successful in management throughout his whole career, starting at
'Obviously, the reason he has been here so long is because of his success. But that has been achieved because over the course of those 20 years he has had the desire, hunger and guts to make big decisions.'
Learning from experience
'Most people will never know what is being said behind closed doors because in the public arena, the boss defends his players to the hilt,' said Ferdinand.
'But that's where the manager gets great respect from the players. They know they can trust him 100%. It is something on which the whole foundations of this club are built.'