This kid for me is on the march to be the best defender we’ve got in England
Rio Ferdinand on Liverpool star Joe Gomez
Ahead of that match, Ferdinand revealed how highly he rates the 21-year-old.
And the pundit claimed he can see similarities between himself as a player and the Liverpool man.
“A south London boy, loads of the kids coming through at the moment are from south London which is nice,” Ferdinand said.
“He had a big injury when he signed, he’s shown character and come back.
Liverpool news: Rio Ferdinand is a big fan of Joe Gomez (Image: GETTY/BT SPORT)
Liverpool news: Ferdinand says Joe Gomez can become the best defender in England (Image: BT SPORT)
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Liverpool news: Joe Gomez has become a regular in Jurgen Klopp's side (Image: GETTY)
“It’s his first full season and yes he’s going to make mistakes positionally because he’s a young defender, young defenders do that.
“But the raw material that he’s got, the pace, the power, the desire, aggressive, very cool under pressure, great on the ball, plays off both feet.
“And his pace to make recovering tackles, if he does make a positional error, at the moment he has been able to get out of trouble with that pace.
“But this kid for me is on the march to be the best defender we’ve got in England.
Liverpool news: Joe Gomez has become a key man for England (Image: GETTY)
“I rate him so highly. He’s calm, he’s cool, you need that when you’re under pressure.
“They are a unit and that’s what they’ve been missing at this club for a long time, a defensive unit that can be the platform to allow them to go on and be a success.
“I do (see similarities with myself) because he plays with a freeness, he’s fearless.”