Ferguson has urged the former England captain to tailor his game after losing a yard of pace.
The United boss insists he is keen to keep the veteran defender at Old Trafford.
Ferguson said on Sky Sports News: “What I explained to Rio the other day is simply this: That we have two young centre-halves coming through and I’m have very happy to have four of them, and I hope to keep the four of them for a long time.
“Rio is almost 33 now and obviously he has lost a yard of pace he had five years ago. That doesn’t mean to say he can’t tailor his game in a different way.
“Whereas he used to rely on his pace, he doesn’t do that now, he can’t do that now, that’s obvious.
“We’ve all faced that deciding moment in your career when you realise you have to change your game. I did it myself as a player when I lost that real sharpness and tailored my game differently.
“Rio will do the same and he’ll be fine. He will still play a big part for us.”
