Former Manchester United ace Rio Ferdinand picks Reece James over Trent Alexander-Arnold

Speaking on BT Sport (h/t Daily Mail), former Manchester United skipper Rio Ferdinand has chosen Reece James over Trent Alexander-Arnold and claimed that the Chelsea right-back is better defensively.

Both players are coming off good performances in the UEFA Champions League, with Reece James scoring one and assisting one goal each in Chelsea’s 3-0 win against AC Milan. Trent on the other hand scored a wonderful free-kick and was solid defensively at the back vs Glasgow Rangers.

In a battle for the England right-back spot, the duo have developed a deep rivalry that has become intense over the course of recent years. James can be considered to be ahead of Trent in Gareth Southgate’s pecking order based on recent selections.

Ferdinand states that the Chelsea wingback is more secure from a defensive point of view. And he correspondingly chose James over Trent for the time being.

“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.”

Trent or Reece?

Also not ruling out the fact that his opinion might change, Ferdinand added that Trent could be his number-one choice when he comes out of the tough patch he is in currently. He put in a great game against Rangers and a stronger test in Arsenal awaits in the Premier League.

England have been blessed with a lot of quality right-backs to choose from. Apart from Reece and Trent, Kieran Trippier is another option Southgate has at his disposal.

But with Trent not being a part of the recent English matchday squad ahead of the World Cup in November, his selection for the event is not a certainty. He will need to prove his worth to the gaffer to cement his place on the plane to Qatar.

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With not long to go for Southgate to announce his squad for the World Cup, Trent would be eager to prove to him that he should rightfully be a part of the team, and would hope to put in the performances to boot as well.