Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has weighed in on a comparison between two prominent Premier League defenders: William Saliba of Arsenal and Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United.
Rio Ferdinand, the former Manchester United defender, has expressed his preference for Arsenal‘s William Saliba over Lisandro Martinez, who currently plays for Manchester United.
William Saliba came to Arsenal during the managerial period of Unai Emery. Initially, a series of loans and uncertainty fostered by Mikel Arteta made Saliba’s future at the club unclear.
However, he made an impressive competitive debut against Crystal Palace, confirming what we all suspected – that Arsenal had a remarkable talent in their squad.
Since that debut, Saliba has elevated his game, becoming a standout defender in the Premier League.
His form attracted the attention of Manchester United over the summer, but a renewal of his Arsenal contract quashed any transfer speculation.
“I would go, Saliba. I think Saliba could potentially be top, top, top,” Ferdinand told talkSPORT.
Edu Gaspar, Arsenal’s technical director, played a pivotal role in ensuring that Saliba committed his future to Arsenal, thereby fending off interest from other elite clubs like Real Madrid and PSG.
In contrast, Lisandro Martinez joined Manchester United in a £47 million move. Though he had an excellent debut season, he has come under scrutiny again as Manchester United experience their worst domestic start in over three decades.
Martinez recently sustained a foot injury that will sideline him for three months.
Interestingly, both Saliba and Martinez could have ended up as teammates at Arsenal.
During the summer of 2022, Arsenal and Manchester United were both keen on Martinez. Edu had even commenced talks with Ajax, Martinez’s former club.
However, Arsenal chose not to enter a bidding war with Manchester United, who went on to sign Martinez for £47 million plus £8.5 million in add-ons.
Ferdinand’s assessment points to Saliba’s rising stock in the world of football. “Martinez answered a lot of critics last year, a lot of doubters about his size and stuff like that. Fantastic on the ball.
“This one, you’re helped by the team you’re playing for. He’s in a very solid, consistent team, Saliba. Martinez isn’t,” said Ferdinand.