William Saliba suggests he's actually not as good as £30m player who once left Man United for free

Manchester United once had a defender who was even better than Arsenal’s William Saliba.

The Frenchman is now one of the best centre-backs in world football. He has been unbelievable for the Gunners over the last two years and has helped them challenge for the Premier League title.

Many Arsenal fans believe Saliba will go down as one of the greatest defenders ever, but for him to do that, he needs to win titles.

That’s probably why Saliba himself believes one former Manchester United player was better than he currently is.

Arsenal star William Saliba picks Rio Ferdinand over himself

Manchester United signed Rio Ferdinand for a then-club-record £30 million in 2002 (BBC).

The Englishman became the world’s most expensive defender for the second time back then, and he more than lived up to his price tag.

Ferdinand played over 450 games for Manchester United and helped them win a total of 15 trophies, including six Premier League titles and a Champions League.

The legendary defender left Old Trafford on a free transfer in 2014 and joined Queens Park Rangers, where he spent a season before retiring.

There aren’t many defenders like Ferdinand, but it has to be said that Arsenal’s Saliba possesses similar traits to the Manchester United legend.

Many feel the Frenchman could surpass what Ferdinand has achieved one day, but right now, Saliba has humbly admitted that the Manchester United icon is better than him.

When asked by MailSport to pick between himself and Ferdinand, Saliba smiled and said: “Ferdinand!”

READ MORE: William Saliba says Arsenal are so ‘lucky’ that £30m star plays for them

What Ferdinand has said about Saliba comparisons

You can’t help but ignore the fact that Saliba has the same style that Ferdinand did many years ago.

Both players are excellent on the ball, can build play out from the back and are incredibly calm when put under pressure. They are both world-class without the ball as well.

That’s why many people compared Saliba to Ferdinand in 2022, but the Manchester United legend hit back.

He said on FIVE in August 2022: “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 a madness! Give the boy some time! He’s doing well. But you don’t judge players when it’s all going well, you say, ‘Brilliant… I’d like to see the next phase’.

“When it all goes against you and it’s a little bit of distress I still want to see the chest popping out, I still want to see shoulders back and I still want to see you wanting the ball and see you on the front foot with that determination and desire… a lot of what we’re not getting at Man United.

“But Saliba, he is showing great potential. Young player of the year in France last year but he’s got a lot to do to make sure he stays in the team but he started off very, very well.”