Rio Ferdinand thinks Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings ‘answered his critics’ as England recorded a 1-0 win against Croatia in their Euro 2020 opener on Sunday, as he told BBC One.
It was expected that the Villa man was going to start today, because of Harry Maguire’s injury, but he was coming into this match under pressure.
With central defence being England’s weak point, some were questioning whether the Villa defender should start after questioning his previous performances.
But he was England’s standout defender on the day, as he helped his country secure a deserved clean sheet and the much-deserved three points.
“He has been superb,” said Ferdinand. “We have been asked before. Would he stand up to this pressure because he’s not played in this type of high-profile game before in his career?
“He has answered his critics. He has answered any questions that have been asked. He has been tremendous in what he has done. This is food and drink for him (clearing danger inside the box).
“The cross is coming into the box and he defends his box as well as anybody else. He loves the combative nature.
“The thing I like about him is that he has concentration and he’s very, very confident. He’s covering the channels. Covering the space. Aggressive when he gets there. And when he has to play long, he has done that.”
Mings has shut a lot of people up with that performance, because not only were people questioning whether he should start, but some were even claiming he shouldn’t have been named in the final 26.
The fact that he helped Villa secure 15 clean sheets this season proves that the call was justified and he balanced both aggression and composure on a sunny day at Wembley.
But this is only one game, and there are far more tougher tests to come, including their showdown with Scotland on Friday.
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