‘People loved him’ – Rio Ferdinand gave surprise verdict on Arsenal legend who had a ‘rough edge’

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal have endured some classic battles with Manchester United over the years.

The rivalry really took off in the late 90s and early 2000s when Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson managed two teams at the peak of their powers vying for the Premier League title each season.

Games sparked some classic footballing moments, Patrick Vieira recalled an infamous moment in the Highbury tunnel whilst Martin Keown apologised for a clash with Ruud Van Nistelrooy at Old Trafford.

These flashpoints off the pitch were also surrounded by moments of magic on the pitch from Arsenal and Manchester United legends and the respect between the two sides is now there for all to see.

READ MORE: Three things Mikel Arteta needs to do now in preparation for next season, including a big decision on Ethan Nwaneri

Rio Ferdinand gave verdict on Arsenal legend

Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand presents YouTube channel, former Manchester United defender Ferdinand gave his verdict on former Gunners striker Ian Wright.

The pair never clashed in an Arsenal v Man Utd game but Ferdinand was full of admiration and praise for Wright.

Ferdinand stated: “People saw a little bit of themselves in him and people loved him and that was the personality and the character which was great, always smiling.”

Despite his praise for Wright, Ferdinand acknowledge that Wright was a competitor on the pitch and had an ‘edge’ that made him the player he was.

Ferdinand explained: “He had a little bit of a rough edge to him as well but there was a character and there was a personality there.”

Ferdinand recalled playing against Ian Wright for West Ham

As a youngster playing for West Ham, Ferdinand did play against Wright at Highbury, coming on as a substitute and recalled the difficulty in playing against him.

Ferdinand stated: “I was staying back on the halfway line marking Wrighty and as the corner is getting set up, he’s just looking at me and I’m looking over him because I’m taller and he’s looking at me and following me.”

It was a way of Wright getting under the skin of Ferdinand and putting him off his game, just one way that the Arsenal legend tried to get an advantage on the football pitch.

Ferdinand was an unbelievable defender during his playing days so for him to speak of the difficulty of playing against Wright, shows the talent and respect that the Gunners forward had amongst his peers.