Rio Ferdinand shuts downs comparisons with William Saliba as he urges pundits to ‘give him time’
Rio Ferdinand has responded to recent comparisons with Arsenal‘s William Saliba, describing the links as ‘madness’.
After a solid start to the season, the young French centre-back has been compared to the former Leeds and Manchester United defender – who is widely regarded as one of the greatest to ever play in the Premier League.
And the now retired Ferdinand has responded to the connections with the 21-year-old on his Vibe With Five podcast, but dismissed any similarities, claiming that Saliba has not been giving long enough to show his true capabilities.
Rio Ferdinand has dismissed comparisons with William Saliba, describing them as ‘madness’
Ferdinand said: ‘How many Premier League games has he played. How many Premier League games had I played at that point?
Ferdinand joined Manchester United from Leeds for a then record £41million
‘I broke the British transfer record at that time and people are drawing comparisons? It’s a madness! Give the boy some time!
‘He’s doing well. But you don’t judge players when it’s all going well you say brilliant I like to see the next phase.’
Ferdinand’s game was under-pinned by his pace and physicality, a pairing that has become a must for any young centre-back in modern football, and he was comfortable playing the ball out of defence.
In Saliba’s first two games for Arsenal this season, fans have been thrilled with the player they have seen, exhibiting composure, power and pace at the back for the Gunners.
Having initially signed in summer 2019 for £27million, Saliba has this season been handed his first starts for the club after three successive loan spells in Ligue 1 at St Etienne, Nice and Marseille.
The 21-year-old centre-back has impressed Arsenal fans with his displays so far this season
Last season he won Young Player of the Year as a result of his performances at Marseille, and Arsenal fans had begun to grow impatient with manager Mikel Arteta, questioning why such a player was not a regular in the side.
But after insistence he would not get the same amount of game time in north London, Arteta’s decision looks to have been a wise one, and fans are now seeing a young defender capable of dealing with the Premier League’s physical demands.
Ferdinand added of the 21-year-old, following an own goal in an otherwise strong outing against Leicester on Saturday: ‘When it all goes against you and it’s a little bit of distress I still want to see the chest popping out, I still want to see shoulders back and I still want to see you wanting the ball and see you on the front foot with that determination and desire… a lot of what we’re not getting at Man Utd.
Saliba was voted Player of the Match after his performance on debut against Crystal Palace
‘But Saliba he is showing great potential. Young player of the year in France last year but he’s got a lot to do to make sure he stay in the team but he started off very, very well.’
Arteta added after the 4-2 win over Leicester: ‘It’s much easier to learn when that happens.
‘I’m happier today than I was last week with [Crystal] Palace because of the way he played after that, I think it was incredible.’
Mikel Arteta was pleased with Saliba’s performance against the Foxes despite the own goal
