Sir Alex Ferguson rewards Rio Ferdinand with £1m-a-year pay rise

Gary Neville will be back from injury next season, but the implication is as soon as the full-back stands aside, Ferdinand will get the job full-time.

"Rio has matured into his role at the club and has shown, when needed, what a great captain and leader he can be," added Ferguson.

Coming just before United head out to Moscow, aiming to become European Cup winners for the third time, the news offers Ferguson the perfect lift.

It also avoids the kind of long-running saga which characterised Ferdinand's last contract talks.

At one stage, the defender was booed by his own supporters as they failed to understand why negotiations were taking so long. This time, however, talks have been conducted smoothly, leaving the defender delighted.

"Manchester United is a fantastic club and I am delighted I have signed a new contract," said Ferdinand, who clinched his third Premier League title after beating Wigan on Sunday. "It is a great honour to be part of this trophy-winning team and to share in the success.

"I would like to thank the manager, the coaching staff, the players and the fans for the tremendous support they have given me since I joined the club."

Ferguson has worked hard in recent months to tie down his top players on long-term deals - starting with Cristiano Ronaldo, followed by Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidic, John O'Shea, Patrice Evra and most recently Wes Brown.

Brown's contract was due to expire in the summer, while 29-year-old Ferdinand had two years remaining on his previous deal. In Neville's absence, the defender has been a key figure for Ferguson this season and was subject of a bid from Newcastle during the January transfer window.

"There's no other club for Wes Brown," said Ferguson in April.

"He's a Manchester United player. We were always quietly confident that he would sign."

Carrick, 26, who only joined the club in 2006 in a £18.6m deal from Tottenham, has become a regular fixture in the United midfield and is confident his season is going to end in glory.

He said: "I want to be sat on a beach in the summer knowing that we have won the double.

"It would be an incredible achievement for the club to win the Champions League again and hopefully we can do it. We believe we can.

"We're really focused on what we want to do in Moscow. We had a good night celebrating winning the Premier League, but a win in Moscow would really cap the season off."