Rio Ferdinand has two-player Arsenal concern and responds to William Saliba comparison

Mikel Arteta reviews Crystal Palace win

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Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand still holds a major concern over Arsenal’s midfield despite a promising start to the season. The former defender has also spoken out on William Saliba following his impressive debut.

Arsenal beat Crystal Palace on the opening day of the Premier League season last Friday. Mikel Arteta’s side were particularly impressive in the first half in the 2-0 win.

But Ferdinand is still concerned over the reliability of the Gunners’ midfield. Granit Xhaka remains a key member of Arteta’s squad but his disciplinary issues have been a problem in recent seasons.

Meanwhile, Thomas Partey has missed a large number of games due to injury since his £45million move from Atletico Madrid in 2020. Speaking on his YouTube show Vibe with Five, Ferdinand said that area of the pitch is still a concern.

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He said: “I just worry about your midfield, I think Xhaka I just worry, he hasn’t shown he can be relied upon for long periods. Partey, is he going to be fit?”

Meanwhile, France star Saliba was compared to Ferdinand by Gary Neville after the match at Palace. Neville said on Sky Sports: “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.”

Saliba finally made his Arsenal debut after three loan spells away from the club. Speaking about the 21-year-old for the first time since the comparison, Ferdinand insisted his time away from the Emirates has worked wonders.

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He said of Saliba: “I don’t know if he needed it but I think what happened when he went away, it humbled him. He came to Arsenal and you expect to play.

“He was talked about being that good but they went no, get some experience. He was Young Player of the Season in Ligue 1, last season, was phenomenal in that sense, comes back and said ‘nah, I’m not going to right-back, Ben White get to right-back, I’m playing centre-half’.

“He’s a centre-half (White). Saliba comes back and it takes a personality, a character to go ‘right I’m here’ and plays. Listen, he had a good game. It’s the first game of the season, Palace is a hard place to go but you have the right to reserve judgement.”

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