Mikel Arteta has refused to compare Arsenal’s William Saliba with Virgil van Dijk.
The Gunners are gearing up to face Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Despite joining Arsenal three years ago, this is Saliba’s first season in the senior squad and the towering Frenchman has proven himself a revelation in the Premier League.
Not only is the 21-year-old a brilliant defender, but there’s undeniable ball-playing ability there in addition to that, evident by his stunner against Bournemouth a little earlier in the campaign.
The former Saint-Etienne centre-back has inevitably been compared with the Liverpool powerhouse, whom he will come up against this weekend.
However, Arteta isn’t fuelling the comparisons, claiming that Saliba is very much his own player and wants to blaze his own trail in football.
He told a press conference when asked if he can ‘hit the heights’ of Van Dijk, via Football London: “Wow, that’s a big question! I’m really happy with where he is at the moment. He’s Saliba, he’s no one else, and he needs to make his own career.”
There’s no doubt that Saliba, growing up as a central defender, will more than likely idolise the Liverpool stalwart, given that he’s been one of the world’s best for a number of years now.
But Arteta is also spot-on.
Ultimately, the onus is on Saliba to forge his own path but judging by his first two months in the Arsenal senior side, he’s doing just that and another solid performance against Jurgen Klopp’s troops this weekend will only reinforce his reputation as a rising star.
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