Rio Ferdinand came to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defence in the Vibe with FIVE podcast, arguing that the defender’s offensive output was enough to justify overlooking any defensive deficiencies.
The former Manchester United star’s fellow hosts were perpetuating the media narrative over the No.66’s defensive abilities, claiming that he would be too much of a liability in that regard to be selected for the England squad ahead of the European Championships.
If the 22-year-old was a genuinely poor defender, Ferdinand’s argument would certainly still make some amount of sense.
However, as recent stats have demonstrated, the Liverpool fullback is far from being untrustworthy in that department.
Putting aside the faulty reasoning of the 42-year-old’s co-hosts, Alexander-Arnold’s creativity is an element sorely required by the national side, though it would certainly benefit us to have the right-back enjoy some much-needed rest this summer.
You can catch the clip below:
Rio Ferdinand absolutely banging the same drum I have been on this. Trent absolutely miles ahead of anyone on offensive output (and I agree on AWB, & would definitely want the best 1v1 defender available in my squad too).pic.twitter.com/yiI5i9MskP
— Simian Justice (@SimianJustice) May 26, 2021