Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is adamant their season won't be derailed by next month's Club World Championship jaunt in Japan.

"It's the price of success," he told the Mirror. "We were a long way behind Arsenal when we won the title in 2002-03, my first season at United.

"We've got enough quality to go on a 15 or 20-game unbeaten run and get ourselves back into contention.

"The team that wins the title is the one that's the most consistent and the one that best handles the pressure.

"And if any team can do that, then it's us, as we've proved in the past."