Gary Neville heaped praise on William Saliba after the Arsenal defender dazzled in his Premier League debut - claiming that the Frenchman reminded him of a "young Rio Ferdinand ".
Before Friday night's 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, Saliba, who arrived in north London for big money back in the summer of 2019, had failed to make a single league appearance for the club. But the 21-year-old was finally thrust into the first-team fold after a sterling stint on loan at Marseille last season.
Saliba made the most of his chance to make an impact and even picked up the man of the match award to cap a perfect night for the Gunners. Afterwards Neville compared the former Saint-Etienne man to his old Manchester United and England teammate after being left seriously impressed by the youngster.
Speaking after the match on Sky Sports, Neville said: "I think the most important thing for young players is just to play. He's got football inside him, I was massively impressed by him. He reminded me of a young Rio Ferdinand.
"Crystal Palace away is a tough away game in the Premier League. They come at you. That's a big night for him."
Neville's verdict was backed up by Jamie Carragher, who selected the centre-half as his man of the match on commentary following his imperious display.
He added: "I thought he was really good. He looks the part, he looks a good player. I think Arsenal fans have been excited for this lad for a while... he looks the real deal. Bringing him in certainly adds something. Just his physical stature, will certainly help them in tough away games."
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Even though he is finally being integrated into the first-team squad at Arsenal, speculation over Saliba's future has still rumbled on this summer, as Marseille were keen to sign him on a permanent basis after his impressive loan spell.
However, Mikel Arteta stressed on more than one occasion that the club had a "plan" for Saliba this year. Speaking after Arsenal's pre-season win over Orlando City, the Spaniard said: "We always have a plan, and when we have to execute, that's a different story, and football is a really funny game, but we are really happy to have him.
"You can see the way he's adapted, the way he's matured, and he's playing well, and we are delighted to have him."
