Rio Ferdinand believes William Saliba's "composure" in pressurised situations is what makes him a top centre-back as the Arsenal defender was praised following the north London derby.
Mikel Arteta's side ran out 3-1 winners at the Emirates Stadium thanks to goals from Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka - stretching their lead at the top of the Premier League to four points. It was a fine performance from the Gunners, but Saliba stood out despite not winning the Player of the Match.
The 21-year-old made the most recoveries (11), tackles (3) and clearances (3) on the pitch on Saturday afternoon as Arsenal recorded their seventh win from eight league matches. It wasn't just his defensive work that stood out, with Saliba completing 67 successful passes and having the most touches (77) out of any player on the park.
There is no doubt Ferdinand was impressed with Saliba's performance and he admitted he was the "most composed" centre-back on the pitch. The former Manchester United ace also believes he is playing beyond his years despite only making his Premier League debut back in August.
He told BT Sport: "I think his composure, he’s very strong, mobile but it’s the composure in the pressure situations. He was the most composed centre-back on the pitch today - especially for Arsenal.
"There was times today where in transition, Arsenal could’ve got hurt but how many times did we see him come out with the ball. At the top level, you need to be calm, composed in these situations and at the moment, he’s showing that beyond his years but he has had to be patient and going away which shows he’s got character.
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"I’m sure he’ll have a good career going here, he’s only been here short amount of time but he’s already become a fan favourite."
It was a fine response from Saliba after a disappointing evening for France last week as he was hooked at half-time in their 2-0 defeat against Denmark. Saliba wasn't directly blamed for the goals Les Bleus conceded, however, that did not prevent Get French Football News from rating his performance at a 3/10.
They suggested that he simply was not at the races this time around. "The usually excellent Saliba looked visibly uncoordinated in the absence of Varane – hauled off at half-time for Clauss as Pavard was tucked into the right centre-back role," they wrote.
But Saliba responded well for the Gunners and Cesc Fabregas was also in awe of the former Marseille man. The former Gunners captain claimed that Saliba was the "best player on the pitch".
Fabregas, 35, said: "That was a fantastic complete performance. I’d like to mention the special name, the fact he was so good he made it look easy is William Saliba.
"I’m sorry but this boy was in France on loan and I was watching him very closely because an ex-Arsenal scout asked me three years ago when we were playing St Etienne in a cup match. I was rested so I was in the stand, he said 'watch this boy, I want to sign him'.
"He was 18, 19 and he was the best player on the pitch so that shows you the potential of this guy, he looks so easy, he could be Arsenal’s centre-back for the next 15 to 20 years."
