Rio Ferdinand has admitted that he would find it tougher to play against Arsenal winger, Bukayo Saka than Man City star, Riyad Mahrez.
Considering Mahrez is a 4-time Premier League winner with City and Leicester, and is considered one of the division’s best wingers of all time, that is high praise from a legend like Ferdinand himself on Saka.
The £70,000-a-week Arsenal wonderkid certainly has a case for being the most in-form wideman in the country.
With 6 goals and 6 assists in the league this season, Bukayo Saka has been a menace for defences.
On the contrary, Riyad Mahrez, who has admittedly picked it up after the World Cup has not had his finest campaign to say the least.
In fact, a common opinion amongst a majority of Man City fans has been that Mahrez may be past his sell-by date at 31 years of age.
A Premier League legend himself in Rio Ferdinand now says why he would rather face the Algerian icon than the youngster.
Rio Ferdinand says he would find it tougher to face Bukayo Saka than Riyad Mahrez
Ferdinand has explained why he would find it a bigger challenge to deal with Bukayo Saka than Riyad Mahrez
“If I had to play against one or the other, I’d rather play against [Riyad] Mahrez than [Bukayo] Saka.”
“I just feel Saka’s pace…me as a full-back, I just feel he wants to go by you all the time. He’s a threat always to go behind, whereas, Mahrez takes little breathers in games and if I get to him close physically…”, Rio Ferdinand has said on his official YouTube channel.
Ferdinand makes a fair point
In his absolute pomp, Riyad Mahrez is the clear winner in this discussion.
However, Rio Ferdinand is right in saying that at present, Bukayo Saka, who constantly runs at his man and is blessed with bags of pace would be tougher to tame than an ageing Mahrez.
The fact that one of the game’s greatest-ever defenders in Ferdinand rates Saka highly enough to even say that is testament to the Arsenal poster boy’s class.
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