Man United Legend Ferdinand Credits Tuchel for Resurgence of Chelsea Star Compared With Dias
- Antonio Rudiger is one of the best Premier League defenders since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel earlier this year
- Rio Ferdinand believes the German star is at par with Manchester City's Ruben Dias who clinched the EPL player of the year award last season
- Rudiger under Frank Lampard was another fringe player and the ex-Man United star credits Tuchel for the resurgence of the centre-back
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Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes Thomas Tuchel has transformed Antonio Rudiger to the level of Ruben Dias.
The former Borussia Dortmund manager was named as a replacement for Frank Lampard who was sacked by the club in late January.
His arrival however saw them reach the FA Cup and the Champions League finals in May but could only lift the European title after losing to Leicester City in Wembley Stadium.
Source: Getty Images
The Stamford Bridge outfit has also been tipped as one of the favourites to contend for the Premier League title this campaign after the arrival of former striker Romelu Lukaku.
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Meanwhile, the revival of Rudiger under the ex-PSG handler cannot be swept under the carpet with the Germany international moving from being used as a fringe player under former boss to one of the starters now.
The 42-year-old retired defender hails Rudiger who has featured in both Chelsea games so far this campaign, adding that he thinks he has been as impressive as Man City’s standout defender Dias.
Ferdinand was quoted by The Mirror while discussing Frank Lampard’s legacy at the Bridge on his YouTube channel FIVE.
What Rio Ferdinand said about Antonio Rudiger's display
"Frank’s respectful and I think he’s honest enough to know and would say Tuchel has done an amazing job.
"But at the same time, I’m sure Frank’s sitting there thinking, 'well I didn’t see these certain players performing like this when I was there.
"Look at Rudiger, he’s arguably since Tuchel has been there [at Chelsea], he’s been the best defender in the Premier League. Him or [Ruben] Dias in that time. He’s been unbelievable, he’s like an animal.”
Dias won the Premier League’s player of the year award last season after helping Man City secure the EPL title following his £65million from Benfica last summer.
He became an instant success at the Etihad - keeping 15 clean sheets in his 32 Premier League appearances.
Rio Ferdinand makes doom prediction for Arsenal this season
Legit.ng earlier reported that Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand feels Arsenal fans must consider themselves lucky if their team finishes ninth on the Premier League table this season.
The Gunners have already kicked off their 2021-22 campaign on a losing start following their back-to-back defeats to newly-promoted Brentford and Chelsea.
Their failures in their first two games were characterised by their inability to score at least a goal talkless of picking a point.
Source: Legit.ng
