Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Reece James’ defensive abilities is “the difference” between him and Trent Alexander-Arnold at the moment.
The two have been rivals for an England spot in recent seasons having burst onto the scene with Chelsea and Liverpool respectively.
As it currently stands, it appears that James is the front-runner having enjoyed a couple of outstanding campaigns at Stamford Bridge.
In the meantime, doubts have emerged about Alexander-Arnold over the past few weeks with his defensive capabilities called into question – and the Liverpool star responded in the perfect way with a stunning free-kick against Rangers on Tuesday.
Now, Ferdinand has claimed that James’ defensive proficiency sees him edge Alexander-Arnold but the battle between the two could swing in the opposite direction in the future.
Speaking to BT Sport, the former Manchester United star said: “On the ball, I believe he [James] is equally as good as Trent, but defensively he is a notch up in one versus one situations. That’s the difference between them at the moment. It is a great subplot for the Premier League.
“The best players have a rivalry and they will push each other. In my eyes, Reece is ahead right now, but Trent will come out of this spell and that could change.”
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James turned in a stunning performance during his most recent outing. The Blues dismissed AC Milan at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday – the right-back scoring the third goal of the match to seal a 3-0 win.
He also enjoyed an impressive evening defensively, too, having kept Rafael Leao quiet. The Portuguese winger had previously enjoyed an electric start to the campaign having netted four goals and made seven assists in all competitions.
Ferdinand added: “He [James] was up against Leao, and if he didn’t know, Reece James knew after 10 mins he was in for a tough night.
“I was screaming up here, James faces him up and gets left early. Then he is worrying. But in the second half he decided he would be aggressive, didn’t let Leao behind, took the ball, then Leao knew he was in for a fight. He also said I’ll defend you but I’ll go the other way too.”
James will be looking to continue his impressive start to the season at the weekend as Chelsea tackle Wolves. Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold who was recently defended by Jurgen Klopp – faces a tough assignment as Liverpool come up against Arsenal at the Emirates.
