He deserves to start Premier League matches,His performance today is topnotch’: Rio Ferdinand is really impressed by £20m player in Arsenal entertaining draw against PSV today
He deserves to start Premier League matches,His performance today is topnotch’: Rio Ferdinand is really impressed by £20m player in Arsenal entertaining draw against PSV today
Lucy Ward was impressed by Cedric Soares during the early stages as Arsenal rounded off their Champions League group-stage campaign against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday night.
Ward was speaking on TNT Sports (broadcast on 12/12; 17:55) after the Portuguese helped deal with a PSV attack in the opening 10 minutes in Eindhoven.
Cedric Soares got the opportunity to make his first start of the season as Mikel Arteta made a number of changes for the contest. Arsenal had already qualified for the knockout stages in the Champions League, wrapping up top spot with their win over Lens last time out.
Lucy Ward praises Cedric Soares in early stages of Arsenal tie
Cedric looks to be well down the pecking order in the Premier League. He has not played a single minute in the top-flight so far this season. But that did not show in the opening minutes against PSV, with Cedric doing well to deal with PSV’s attacking quality.
And after he and Jorginho managed to regain possession for the Gunners at one stage, Ward suggested that she had been impressed by how he had started the contest.
“Cedric’s started well. You can tell he’s an experienced player. Getting in good positions, he’s intercepted a few times,” she told TNT Sports.
“He’s dealt with a bit of fire down that right-hand side for Arsenal as well. But that’s what PSV are all about. When they regain possession, can they get forward quickly in a limited number of passes?”
Right-back may have role to play in coming weeks
Of course, it is hard to imagine Cedric being a regular for Arsenal again. The 32-year-old is behind Ben White in the pecking order.
There is also speculation that Cedric could leave Arsenal in January.
However, Mikel Arteta is currently without Jurrien Timber, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Thomas Partey. So the former Southampton man could have a role to play in the coming weeks.
Obviously, you are unlikely to get match-winning performances from the £5 million man at this stage of his career. However, he showed on Tuesday that he can still do a decent job at the top level.
