Former Man Utd star names current best defender

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has named Manchester City star John Stones as the current best defender.

According to Ferdinand, Stones, who is currently on the sideline, is ahead of Manchester United’s Harry Maguire in the Three Lions.

Ferdinand also believes that England manager Gareth Southgate is denting the confidence of Chelsea defender Levi Colwill by picking Maguire for England.

“If England was in a knife-edge situation I’d get it, but they are going to qualify [for Euro 2024], they are the best team in their group by a mile,” Ferdinand said on Vibe With Five when asked about Southgate’s decision to pick Maguire.

“My biggest concern would be the confidence and the morale of other players in that position [centre-back]. He [Southgate] is saying he’s got no other centre-halves he can trust at all.

“John Stones, who is the best England centre-half at the moment, is injured. Marc Guehi comes in, he just seems to be able to step up to every level he gets asked to step up to, he steps up comfortably.

“Maguire has not played and he’s probably sitting there going, ‘thank god Gareth Southgate is manager because no one else would play me like this’.”