William Saliba stood out for Mikel Arteta's impressive Arsenal side with a man of the match display against Crystal Palace.
The 21-year-old was making his full debut for Arsenal despite signing for the Gunners in 2019 and looked at home in the league, helping his side cruise to a 2-0 victory at a ground that they lost 3-0 at last season.
The result, though still far too early to be significant in the long-run, was demonstration of the steps that Arteta's side have taken over pre-season, recruiting well and gearing up for an assault on the top four.
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With new signings Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko both playing there was less attention on Saliba, who was partnered by Ben White, and the Frenchman shone at Selhurst Park.
Although the away side dominated most of the match and could have been runaway winners, Saliba dealt with a tricky Palace attack, shutting out Wilfried Zaha for large portions of the game. It was a header from Gabriel Martinelli and Marc Guehi own goal that won the game for Arsenal, but Saliba's mature display was enough to catch the eye of Jamie Carragher.
"He’s been a real rock at the back," he said on commentary. "Everyone was excited when they bought him a few years ago, a lot was thought of him. Maybe he was a bit too young to be a centre-back in the Premier League you can understand that. The loan’s worked for him, it really has."
Saliba's performances for Marseille earned him his international debut in March and he could be in line for more after recording seven clearances and one block in what was an impressive display in south London. His work on the ball was also a key part of Arteta's game plan, making 49 passes - the second most for his side - with a match high completion rate for an outfield player.
He also drew a huge comparison to six-time league winner Rio Ferdinand, with Gary Neville saying after the match: "He reminded me of a young Rio Ferdinand and he will become stronger and his body will become more coordinated, he’s such a young centre-back. Crystal Palace away is a tough game, they throw everything at you, they drive at you all the time, that’s a big night for him.
"The most important thing for young players is to play football, they get stuck in between first-team and reserves, he’s got football inside him. Look, I was massively impressed by him."
Carragher then added: "I thought he was very good, he didn’t have too much to do in terms of the first half but there was one moment where Arsenal were pushing out a lot, Anderson kept putting balls over the top but there was one ball that went in behind Ben White but the way he dealt with it.
"Before you see him play, he looks the part, for such a young age, helping Ben White, Arsenal fans have been excited to see him. You can argue was it right to put him out but 21 [years old] playing centre-back in the Premier League - do you do that when you’re 19-20? It’s not easy. He looked the real deal.
"We looked at Zinchenko and Jesus before the game but he adds something. We always felt they were weak, Brentford they got bullied, here his physical stature will certainly help them in tough area games."
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