Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand names four Premier League defenders who were better than Arsenal’s William Saliba at 21 years old

Rio Ferdinand has warned Arsenal fans to stop overhyping William Saliba and named four Premier League defenders who were better than the France international at the same age.

Arsenal news, exclusives and analysis

Saliba had impressed during the early weeks of the new season, playing a key role in a run of five successive victories which had propelled Mikel Arteta’s new-look side to the top of the table.

The Gunners, however, failed the first acid test of their credentials on Sunday when they were punished by a rejuvenated Manchester United who capitalised on Arsenal’s defensive naivety.

Marcus Rashford scored twice on the counter-attack to help United secure three valuable points with Saliba, caught out by the England forward’s movement, arguably at fault for both goals.

Saliba’s early performances, having finally made the breakthrough at Arsenal three years after joining from Saint Etienne, had drawn comparisons with Ferdinand on account of his elegance and confidence on the ball.

Ferdinand, however, dismissed those comparisons and picked out four of his former international teammates who he felt were performing at a higher level than the 21-year-old Saliba at the same age.

He told Vibe: ‘Jonathan Woodgate, Sol Campbell, John Terry, trust me. Woodgate 100% without any hesitation.

‘Wes Brown at 21. He was winning Champions Leagues. He was in the treble winning team, he played games in that team’.

On Saliba’s peformance at Old Trafford, Ferdinand added: ‘He failed the Rashford test. You don’t need to put this pressure on Saliba, he’s just five games in just let him play.

‘You’re salivating over Saliba but he’s probably in the changing room thinking I’ve got my DNA on two, maybe three, of the goals in some way shape or form.

‘S