Rio Ferdinand has paid tribute to Arsenal defender William Saliba after his faultless performance in the 1-0 win against Manchester City at the weekend.
The Frenchman kept the dangerous Erling Haaland quiet all evening and Ferdinand says there was even one moment where Saliba shoulder barged the striker that he shared with his son as an example of top-class defending:
“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 a 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.”
Saliba is a world-class centre-back
After delivering such an outstanding display against the Premier League’s best striker, there can be no disputing the fact that Saliba is up there with the best defenders in the world.
When you also consider the fact that he wasn’t 100% fit either, it puts into perspective just how good the Frenchman is.
At just 22 years of age, the sky really is the limit for Saliba. As long he avoids any major injuries and continues to make the progress he has been making, Arsenal could have one of the best centre-halves out there for a decade or more, and it will undoubtedly ensure that they are in contention for winning trophies year in, year out.
