Manchester United legend is a no-brainer choice over Virgil van Dijk for 5x PL winner

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He still backs the Manchester United legend who changed the position, even with Liverpool’s captain at the top of the game.Wes Brown was asked to pick the better defender between his former teammate Rio Ferdinand and Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty ImagesWhy Rio Ferdinand stands above Virgil Van DijkFor Brown, there was no debate, just respect for a player who helped set the standard at Old Trafford.“I’d 100 per cent of the time pick Rio over Virgil van Dijk. Of course, I could be being biased, but if you’ve seen Rio you know he’s just a different class.“Individually, he could do everything, and he had such poise that meant he was rarely scrambling around for a slide tackle,” Brown said, via 10bet (h/t Goal).

He won so many trophies to show just how important he was to the great United side,” Brown added.Ferdinand’s influence went beyond reading the game. MORE PREMIER LEAGUE STORIES How Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic set the gold standard for Manchester UnitedAfter praising Ferdinand, Brown also reflected on his partnership with another Man Utd legend, Nemanja Vidic.“He and Vidic were the ideal partners for one another.

Occasionally, you just get partnerships like that, which don’t come around too often.“The two of them completely made each other work to the best of their abilities, and it spurred Rio on to get even better,” Brown continued.He concluded: “If you talk about individuals, then it’s Ferdinand above Van Dijk for me every time, but it’s not by miles. I think Rio was the best defender to play for United, and perhaps in the Premier League.”The partnership between Ferdinand and Vidic is still seen as the blueprint for defensive balance: one elegant, one ruthless, both exceptional.