Ex-Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand feels his former club have an outstanding midfielder in Casemiro.

The Brazilian international scored a last-gasp equaliser against Chelsea last weekend but he has been criticised for some of his performances since arriving from Real Madrid for £70m in the summer. When asked to compare him to Arsenal’s Thomas Partey, though, Ferdinand said that United have by far the better player:

“Partey is a really good player, he’s been really good. He’s not the right player to play holding midfielder for Man Utd. We’re talking about a player many rungs up, many rungs. It’s like saying before we had Fred and McTominay in the CDM position would you not have taken Partey? Well yes I would have but what does that prove? All I’m saying is we’re talking about Casemiro against Partey and it’s not a competition.”

Casemiro’s trophy haul tells you all you need to know about the player. He won three La Liga titles, five Champions Leagues, three World Club Cups, three UEFA Super Cups, three Spanish Super Cups and one Spanish Cup during his time at Real Madrid. With Brazil, he has also lifted the Copa America.

There is no doubting the 30-year-old’s pedigree so, for that reason, Ferdinand is justified in stating that he is superior to Partey. The Brazilian does, though, still need to show he can cope with the intensity of the Premier League on a regular basis.