Rio Ferdinand reveals the Arsenal star ‘Declan Rice has been raving about’

Rio Ferdinand has praised the burgeoning Arsenal central defensive partnership between Gabriel and William Saliba (Picture: FIVE)

Rio Ferdinand has revealed Declan Rice has been ‘raving’ about his Arsenal teammate Gabriel Magalhaes.

The Gunners may have surrendered leadership of the Premier League following Sunday’s stalemate against Manchester City, but the resilience they demonstrated in limiting the champions to a handful of goalscoring opportunities has earned widespread praise.

Arsenal currently boast the meanest defence in the Premier League and have conceded just four times since the turn of the year.

And while William Saliba walked away with the man of the match award after another imperious performance, Ferdinand revealed it is his partner in crime who Rice has been ‘waxing lyrical’ about.

The Brazil international was taken to task by Ferdinand last season, who accused the former Lille defender of being too rash following the concession of an avoidable penalty against Tottenham.

Ferdinand, however, has noted how the 26-year-old appears to have eradicated the flaws in his game to become one of the division’s best.

‘When I saw Declan the other day and spoke to him he was waxing lyrical and raving about Gabriel,’ Rice told Vibe with Five.

Gabriel Magalhaes and Erling Haaland enjoyed a titanic battle in Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Man City (Picture: Getty)

‘I criticised him last season and I stand by that and rightly so. But he seems to have learned, he’s matured. He’s one of the most aggressive, but also controlled now and composed centre halves in the league.

‘His partnership with Saliba… if he was fit the back end of last season they might have won the league. His importance and stature within the team now is alongside Gabriel.’

Ferdinand also believes that, in the form of Gabriel and Saliba, Arsenal now boast the best central defensive partnership in the English top flight, and one that his starting to resemble the legendary relationship he enjoyed with Nemanja Vidic during Manchester United’s hayday.

William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are the best defensive partnership in the Premier League, according to Rio Ferdiand (Picture: Getty)

He said: ‘I don’t think you can look at one without the other. I think they’re the best partnership.

‘Van Dijk and Konate are close but these two work together better.

‘When we interviewed Nemanja Vidic, he said something really important that when you build a foundation for a great team you need a partnership at centre-half who play consistently together.

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‘When it’s all said and done I don’t think Nemanja Vidic is Nemanja Vidic without Rio and I’d say the same.

‘I wouldn’t be held in the class I’m in without Nemanja Vidic by my side. That’s where I think these two are going towards.

‘When they walk out on the pitch these two are hand in hand, side by side, shoulder to shoulder. There’s no A side in that they’re both A side and they roll. I love it and I respect it.’

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