TOO many talented players fail to fulfil their potential.

Particularly nowadays where the trappings of the game can take away the edge.

Few go beyond what you thought they were going to be. Rio Ferdinand has.

When he missed that drugs test and was banned for eight months things could have gone one way or the other.

The Manchester United fans were understandably furious.

For a time, manager Alex Ferguson also looked to have shelved plans to mould him into the club captain.

When Roy Keane left, Gary Neville leaped ahead of Ferdinand to take the skippers armband.

But Ferdinands fightback from that low has been colossal. He has grown into a figure of great stature for club AND country.

In the absence of the injured Neville, and when Ryan Giggs does not play, Ferdinand has led the team this season.

He has led them by example, too, not least in the Nou Camp on Wednesday when he was immense.

Now Ferguson and Fabio Capello look set to recognise his leadership qualities with captaincy of club and country permanently.

Neville is struggling to recover from injury and become a regular again while Giggs games will be fewer next season.

It is time to hand the band on to a man who really is the leader of the new generation at United.

Someone who has matured greatly as a player and person.

Someone who is popular in the dressing room and can drag those winning performances out of the team.

It seemed when he was first compared to Sir Bobby Moore at West Ham it went to his head a bit. Now actions have made that similarity ring true.

Its credit to him that he has reached this point and now I can see him thriving on an extra weight of responsibility.