Sir Alex Ferguson believes that Jonny Evans can be the new Rio Ferdinand. The Northern Ireland centre back stepped in for Nemanja Vidic away to Chelsea last month when the Serb was suspended. He rewarded Ferguson with a towering performance at Stamford Bridge, proving the Manchester United manager correct in his decision not to let Evans join Sunderland on loan for a third successive season.

Evans will have to be patient. Vidic returned against Aalborg in the Champions League and kept his place away to Blackburn Rovers last weekend. However, Ferguson has assured the 20-year-old he is the long-term successor to Ferdinand and expects the Belfast-born youngster eventually to take a stranglehold on a central defensive place.

“Evans's career is absolutely guaranteed,” Ferguson said. “He is 20, Rio Ferdinand is 30 and Nemanja Vidic is 27 so, in a few years' time, he will be the first-choice centre half, there is no question about that.”

Evans is only one of a group of talented youngsters Ferguson has assembled at Old Trafford that should keep United at the top long after the Scot has stepped down as manager. Rodrigo Possebon was outstanding in central midfield during the Carling Cup win over Middlesbrough until he got on the wrong end of Emanuel Pogatetz's disgraceful challenge and Rafael Da Silva was impressive in Denmark last week. Neither man has celebrated his 20th birthday yet, with the same, obviously, being true of Rafael's twin brother, Fabio, who is also tipped for big things by the United hierarchy, and Danny Welbeck, the England Under-19 forward.

As Anderson and Nani are only 20 and 21 respectively, Ferguson is planning far beyond his retirement date, whenever that may be. He said: “Every team needs lads of 20 or younger, who can take over from the ones that were there before who have become middle-aged in playing terms, with the middle ones becoming older. That is what you call managing change.”