Rio Ferdinand backs William Saliba to become one of the best defenders in the world

Rio Ferdinand has picked William Saliba ahead of Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez and believes the Arsenal centre-back can become one of the world’s best defenders.

Saliba Establishes Himself at Arsenal

Saliba has now established himself as a key figure at the heart of Arsenal’s defence having been signed from Saint-Etienne for £27 million in 2019.

Martinez Under Fire at United

Martinez, meanwhile, came under fire after his £56.7m move from Ajax last year, however, Ferdinand believes the World Cup winner answered his critics in his first season at United.

Ferdinand Favours Saliba

When asked who he would pick between Saliba and Martinez, Ferdinand told talkSPORT: ‘I’ll go Saliba. I think Saliba could potentially be top, top, top. I think Martinez answered a lot of critics last year, a lot of doubters about his size and stuff like that, fantastic on the ball. But like this one [comparison] I think also you’re helped by the team you play in. He’s in a very solid, consistent team, Saliba. Martinez isn’t.’

Odegaard Not Yet at De Bruyne’s Level

Ferdinand also dismissed suggestions that Martin Odegaard is now as good as Kevin de Bruyne. ‘Not yet,’ Ferdinand said. ‘De Bruyne, what he’s done in the Premier League, it’s nothing short of crazy. Premier League history, one of the best midfielders. But I think Odegaard has the ability to get there. When he got the armband [at Arsenal] I was like, ‘woah, that’s a huge responsibility on one so young’. As a player I backed him fully, great talent but I wasn’t sure if we would be able to… I didn’t question him, I was like, ‘we’ll see now if he can handle the armband’. He took it on, wears it with pride, wears it well.’

Conclusion

Rio Ferdinand has backed William Saliba to become one of the world’s best defenders and believes Martin Odegaard has the ability to reach Kevin de Bruyne’s level. Saliba has established himself as a key figure at the heart of Arsenal’s defence and Ferdinand believes he is helped by playing in a solid and consistent team. Meanwhile, Martinez answered his critics in his first season at United and Odegaard has taken on the responsibility of being Arsenal captain with pride.