‘They’re just hyping Him even Maguire at his prime is better than Him’: Rio Ferdinand snubs Arsenal star Saliba and names best Premier League centre-back
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has chosen to snub William Saliba as the Premier League’s best centre-back despite heaping praise on the Arsenal defender.
The Gunners beat Manchester City 1-0 on Sunday to leapfrog the defending champions and go joint top of the Premier League with arch-rivals Tottenham.
Saliba and his Arsenal centre-back partner Gabriel Magalhaes were solid as they kept Erling Haaland and other Man City attackers at bay for the majority of the match.
Gary Neville spoke over the weekend about how Saliba, Gabriel and Declan Rice are now Mikel Arteta’s three most important players if they are to maintain a title challenge this season.
And ex-Man Utd defender Ferdinand has poured praise on Saliba after showing his son a clip of the Arsenal centre-back defending against Haaland.
“I have to say I watched the game and Saliba, it’s these games where you see if the boys have got the temperament and that counts for a lot in these big games,” Ferdinand told Vibe with Five.
He’s cool as you like with and without the ball. I don’t think he’s been dribbled past in eight games. There was one moment I stopped the game and rewound it for me son because he plays centre back.
“I said ‘watch this’! The ball gets played and he’s on the halfway line with Haaland. He’s giving all centre backs sleepless nights based on what he did last season. Saliba, the last person he saw before he went to sleep wouldn’t have been his missus, it would’ve been Haaland’s face.
“Halfway line, someone plays the ball beyond the back four. As it’s being played him and Haaland are shoulder to shoulder and he just bounces him, Haaland goes over.
“Those little details, don’t put me in foot race, don’t need to, I could, but I don’t need to. He’s got little dark arts he’s introduced to his game. He seems cute around the box as well he’s calm under pressure, he’s happy to have the responsibility of hoofing the ball out at times.
“Him and Gabriel’s partnership is really blossoming I don’t think he does what he does without a good partner so you have to give Gabriel his flowers as well. He is the A-side in that partnership.”
But Ferdinand doesn’t think Saliba is currently the best centre-back in the Premier League with Man City star John Stones taking that title.
Ferdinand added: “John Stones is the best centre-half in the Premier League at the moment. Defensively he was going back into the back four.
“John Stones, no other centre-half in the Premier League did what John Stones did last season. He could be in the arguement, he’s such a different player, he’s brought more to the position because he’s being asked to. John Stones right now he looks so composed with the authority he plays with.”
