Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Reece James’ defensive abilities is “the difference” between him and under-fire Trent Alexander-Arnold at the moment.
The two have been rivals for an England spot over recent seasons having burst onto the scene with Chelsea and Liverpool respectively. As it stands, it appears that James is the front-runner having enjoyed a couple of stellar campaigns at Stamford Bridge.
In the meantime, doubts have emerged about Reds’ defender Alexander-Arnold over the past few weeks with his defensive capabilities called into question - albeit the Liverpool man responded in the perfect manner with a stunning free-kick against Rangers on Tuesday evening.
Now, Ferdinand has claimed that James’ defensive proficiency sees him edge Alexander-Arnold currently but the battle between the two could potentially swing in the opposite direction in the future.
Speaking to BT Sport, the former Manchester United man said: “On the ball, I believe he [James] is equally as good as Trent, but defensively he is a notch up in one versus one situations. That’s the difference between them at the moment. It is a great subplot for the Premier League.
“The best players have a rivalry and they will push each other. In my eyes, Reece is ahead right now, but Trent will come out of this spell and that could change.”
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James turned in a stunning display during his most recent outing. The Blues dismissed of Italian champions AC Milan at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening - the right-back scoring the third goal of the game to seal a 3-0 win.
He also enjoyed an impressive evening defensively, too, having kept reported Blues target Rafael Leao quiet. The Portuguese winger had previously enjoyed an electric start to the season having netted four goals and provided seven assists so far in all competitions.
Ferdinand continued: “He [James] was up against Leao, and if he didn’t know, Reece James knew after 10 mins he was in for a tough night.
“I was screaming up here, James faces him up and gets left early. Then he is worrying. But in the second half he decided he would be aggressive, didn’t let Leao behind, took the ball, then Leao knew he was in for a fight. He also said I’ll defend you but I’ll go the other way too.”
James will be aiming to continue his impressive start to the season at the weekend as Chelsea tackle Wolves. Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold - recently defended by his manager Jurgen Klopp - faces a tough assignment as the Reds come up against table-topping Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Interestingly enough, both players could be set to fight it out for a starting berth at the upcoming World Cup with Kyle Walker's place having been thrown into huge doubt with his groin injury having led to him having surgery.
