The England star has been on the sidelines with a succession of injuries since March 2007 and, while he made a comeback last month as a substitute in the Champions League second leg against Roma, Wes Brown has held onto the right-back position in subsequent games.

But Ferguson insists that, despite plans to add to his squad over the summer, the 33-year-old still has a major role to play at Old Trafford.

"He will play next year," he told the Mail on Sunday. "He will start the season at right-back, I'm sure of that.

"He has been doing well training-wise and I would have played him in the last few weeks if he had had games behind him, but he has been out for more than a year."

Paul Scholes, 33, and Ryan Giggs, 34, are also approaching the end of their careers, but Ferguson wants to use that to the team's advantage over the next two seasons.

"Their experience will be utilised very well in the next couple of years. Those three give you that spiritual and experience factor which is important.

"By the time they go, other players will replace them to keep the continuity of experience and youth."