A comparison made by Gary Neville didn't go down well at all with his former Manchester United colleague Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand on YouTube
Rio Ferdinand delivered a pointed response to Gary Neville's comments
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In most circumstances, being likened to a title-winning centre-back might be considered high praise for Rio Ferdinand. Yet there was an uncomfortable moment for the former Manchester United stalwart as ex-teammate Gary Neville made a comparison with William Saliba, which may have reminded Ferdinand of past comments he made about the Frenchman.
Saliba is now a Premier League champion, having played a starring role for the Gunners as they ended a 22-year wait to be crowned top-flight champions. Earlier in the centre-back's career, however, Ferdinand was far from generous in his assessment.
Saliba arrived at Arsenal as a teenager but spent three seasons on loan before eventually making his Premier League bow at the start of the 2022/23 campaign. After initial worries he might never get a chance under Mikel Arteta, he was so commanding in that match that Neville drew comparisons with his former club and international teammate.
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"I was massively impressed by him. He reminded me of a young Rio Ferdinand. He's such a young defender at 21," Neville told Sky Sports after that opening day win at Crystal Palace. "Getting through that second half, when Arsenal weren't at their best, would have been the most pleasing thing for Mikel Arteta."
At the time, Ferdinand was eager to give £27million signing Saliba room to forge his own identity rather than burden him with lofty comparisons. "How old is he? How many Premier League games has he played? How many Premier League games had I played at that point?" he said on his YouTube channel.
"I broke the British transfer record at that time and people are drawing comparisons? It's a madness! Give the boy time, give him some time!"
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - MAY 30: Arsenal's William Saliba during the UEFA Champions League Final 2026 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal FC at Puskas Arena on May 30, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)
William Saliba has kicked on dramatically since that impressive debut(Image: Rob Newell - CameraSport, CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Ferdinand had reservations about the money splashed on Saliba when Arsenal sent him out on loan to Nice in January 2021. The Frenchman had featured in the first half of the 2020/21 season in North London, yet had seen no first-team action beyond a place on the bench in the Community Shield.
"You've got a great nucleus of young players, there's seven or eight young players there who everyone is talking about," Ferdinand said at the time. "But you've got to put the pieces around them and that's the big problem. That's been the big problem with recruitment at Arsenal for so long.
"Saliba, what's happened with him? It's a waste of money it seems at the minute. I don't know what's happened."
Arsenal's willingness to wait to blood Saliba has proved well-founded. In the three years since injury cut short that first full season, he has played a pivotal role in transforming Mikel Arteta's side from also-rans into title challengers and, ultimately, champions.
The former Saint-Etienne defender put pen to paper on a fresh deal in September, tying him to North London until 2030. Any club looking to prise him away now would need to stump up considerably more than the £27m Arsenal paid when he was still a teenager.