The Manchester United legend has had his say on Arsenal centre-back William Saliba – the defender that everyone is talking about after his long-awaited start to life at the Emirates.
Mikel Arteta backs William Saliba to deal with exposure.
Rio Ferdinand has once again called for people to be patient with Arsenal star William Saliba after he was withdrawn at half time of France’s recent 2-0 defeat by Denmark.
It marked a rare low for Saliba so far this season, after his stunning start with the Gunners three years after he first joined them on a permanent switch from Saint-Etienne.
The centre-back has been near faultless in almost every game he has featured and has even bagged two goals for himself – a higher tally than plenty of players in more attacking roles than him.
Things didn’t go to plan at Parken Stadium when Les Bleus were on the wrong end of a surprise 2-0 scoreline.
Saliba’s first-half showing was so poor in the eyes of national team boss Didier Deschamps he wasn’t given the chance to redeem himself after the break.
Ferdinand has discussed the decision to take Saliba off so soon, demanding: “Give him [Saliba] a chance man, He is a young player.”
It echoes sentiments Ferdinand previously offered up when responding to comparisons linking the pair of them.
Given Saliba’s remarkable technical prowess for someone so young, it didn’t take long for fans and pundits alike to dub him the ‘next Ferdinand‘.
The United legend wasn’t quite as gentle when discussing those links, still insisting the defender be given time but also needing no second chance to remind listeners how his own achievements at that age certainly dwarf Saliba’s.
“How old is he? How many Premier League games has he played? How many Premier League games had I played at that point? I broke the British transfer record at that time and people are drawing comparisons? It’s madness! Give the boy time, give him some time!” Ferdinand told Vibe with Five.
“He’s doing well. Listen, you don’t judge players when it’s all going well. You say ‘brilliant‘, I like to see the next phase. When it all goes against you and it’s a little bit of distress, now I still want to see the chest popping out. I still want to see shoulders back.”
The former Old Trafford star went on to explain how the young Gunner has a long way to go before he can be mentioned alongside someone with the CV he himself could boast at the same age, but if that wasn’t enough of a reality check for Saliba, recent comments from Deschamps will do the trick.
“Analysing the defender’s efforts as well as the wider collective after that Denmark defeat, the France boss claimed:”It’s a young French side, where the majority of the players don’t have experience at the very highest level.
“It’s not a question of formations, but when you have four corners and a Danish player is left alone each time, you can play with three, five or twelve at the back, it doesn’t change a thing.”
His last remark was perhaps the most cutting, given it read as if Deschamps regarded his younger players as nothing more than stop-gaps until the more senior professionals return.
“Obviously we have young, quality players who are learning but the important thing is to recover all our vital, experienced players for two months‘ time.”
There is no doubt Saliba is a talented player with bags of potential.
Arsenal fans are understandably delighted with the start he has made this season, but Ferdinand and Deschamps need to be considered – particularly by the defender himself.
Saliba is not yet the finished article and how he responds to this latest setback – his biggest to date – with the France national team will say a lot about the character of the centre-back.