Rio Ferdinand has explained why he’d rather have Trent Alexander-Arnold in a team than Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Liverpool’s generally poor season, combined with Alexander-Arnold’s omission from the latest England squad, has led to debate over the right back and whether he deserves a spot at this summer’s Euros.
Naturally the conversation surrounding the Liverpool man often draws parallels with Manchester United’s first-choice right back.
Defence vs attack
Wan-Bissaka is widely regarded as one of the best one-on-one defenders in the world, though his attacking abilities are often called into question. Since Trent burst onto the scene, his assessment has been pretty much the opposite, earning huge praise in terms of attacking abilities.
In ultra simplistic terms, both players excel in the other’s weakness.
During an episode of his Vibe With FIVE podcast, Ferdinand spoke about why he prefers Trent to AWB.
“If you play a low block, Trent’s got the ability to play a 30, 40-yard pass on the counter to get someone in immediately. If you’re playing a low block, he’s got people around him to cover and he can create two v ones against the winger.
“Wan-Bissaka is the best one v one defender in Europe, for me, but he’s still got work to do defensively,” argued Ferdinand. “You see the goal yesterday against Brighton, he doesn’t know where the striker is.”
“With the ball, Trent smashes all of them to pieces. His best attributes absolutely outweigh everything else.
“I’ll tell you what we do too much in this game. We look for people’s weaknesses. Yaya Toure is the best example. ‘He can’t defend, he can’t play in a 4-4-2’. Shut up! He’s an absolute animal on the pitch.
“A great player, scores goals, assists, can take the game by the scruff of the neck, but you’re talking about he can’t defend.
“It happens all the time. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been the best right-back in the world for two years, but you’re telling me ‘oh, he can’t defend’. What do you mean? “Who’s a much better defender all-round and is actually anywhere near him with the ball?”
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