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Marcel Desailly has picked Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate over Arsenal defender William Saliba, insisting the Arsenal centre-back's individual qualities are just above average compared to the Reds centre-back.
Desailly had an amazing playing career, winning major titles at Chelsea, AC Milan, and Marseille in addition to helping France win the World Cup and the Euros.
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In the opinion of the renowned centre-back, Saliba still has a lot to prove before starting for France instead of Dayot Upamecano and Konate.
Saliba had an impressive 2022/2023 season with Arsenal and has been considered one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
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Desailly on Saliba and Konate
Desailly has explained why he has picked Konate over Saliba in a recent interview as reported by the Mirror.
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Desailly told Get French Football News, "Upamecano, and Konate – their association is fabulous. And more than that – I think that, individually, they maybe have a level above what we saw with [Raphael] Varane and [Samuel] Umtiti.
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"But before they can express their individuality at a very high level, their association needs to be good. Then there is the one at Arsenal too [Saliba] – he hasn't yet had the game time to adapt to that necessary association.
"I don't believe his individual qualities to be above average. He's at a very, very high level but not extraordinary. So before absorbing the international level, he needs to acclimatise to those associations.
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"As things stand I don't know how to associate him with Konate or with Upamecano so that he can excel and develop all the talent that he has in him."
After returning from a loan at Marseille, Saliba has been fantastic for Arsenal, contributing significantly to their successful Premier League title campaign the previous year.
The 22-year-old received a new long-term contract after being selected for the Premier League team of the season.
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