source: 4thegame.com

After losing Roy Keane and Paul Scholes this season, Manchester United desperately need a new midfielder, but if Fergie's serious about signing either Michael Ballack or Thomas Gravesen then time is running out. With the transfer window about to slam shut, a man of Fergie's age won't be keen on getting his fingers bruised.

So, why not save a small fortune and play Rio Ferdinand as a defensive midfielder? His reputation as a world-class defender is tarnished by his inability to concentrate for two periods of 45 minutes. Would you pay 30 million GBP for him now? But as a holding midfielder...

He's a ball winner, he's got a great first touch and sprays the ball about with the best of them. He always looks most comfortable striding out from the back, ball at his feet. So why not liberate him from the discipline of defending that he finds so difficult and let him loose in midfield?

I see him breaking up attacks like a long-legged Claude Makelele, then using his pace and passing to instigate some effective counter-attacking. This move could not only save the Glazer family some money, save Fergie another embarrassing foray into the transfer market (Kleberson?) but could also save Ferdinand's reputation as a top-class player.