Patrice Evra and Gary Neville are two of Man Utd’s greatest ever defenders (Photo: Getty)
Chelsea star Ben Chilwell has revealed he admired watching two Manchester United legends growing up.
Chilwell was recently asked to pick his top five Premier League full-backs of all-time, with the United pair selected alongside two current Liverpool stars and an Arsenal and Chelsea icon.
Though many great full-backs have played for the Blues over the past thirty years, their current left-back admitted that he enjoyed watching the Red Devils when he was young, with one of their defenders making a great impression on him.
‘Patrice Evra. I used to like watching United games growing up and as a full-back, and as a left-back in particular, I used to watch his game pretty closely,’ the 26-year-old told the Premier League’s official website.
‘I liked the way that he played. Up and down, very adventurous. He seemed like a natural winger.’
Chilwell has become renowned for his attacking flair too, with nine goals and 13 assists in 89 games for Chelsea, great numbers for a defender.
The England international was recently made his club’s new vice captain by Mauricio Pochettino, with his leadership skills perhaps inspired by a former United skipper.
Ashley Cole is widely considered to be the best left-back in Premier League history (Photo: Getty)
‘Gary Neville. He got endless Premier Leagues, won a lot of trophies with Man United. Seemed like a leader on the pitch, a leader off the pitch. Seemed like a real professional.’
As a Chelsea player, Chilwell also couldn’t leave out Ashley Cole, regarded by many as the best left-back in the league’s history due to all his success at both Stamford Bridge and boyhood club Arsenal.
‘He was someone who I spoke to when I first joined the club and I always respected him as a player. And then to meet him away from football as well and see what a good guy he was.
Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are two of the best full-backs in the world currently (Photo: Getty)
‘But on the pitch he was kind of one of the first full-backs to score goals, get assists, but could also defend.’
As for those currently playing, Chilwell couldn’t look past Liverpool’s star defenders, adding: ‘There’s a lot of good ones [full-backs] playing at the moment to be fair.
‘Andy Robertson. Over the past few years, as a left-back, he’s someone who I’ve respected. I’ve seen what he’s done at Liverpool and he’s won a lot of silverware there.
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‘Trent Alexander-Arnold. His right foot, his crossing ability, his range of passing, free-kicks, set pieces. Technically one of the best full-backs I’ve seen.
Chilwell joined Chelsea from Leicester in 2020 and has since won the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup, as well as finish runner-up at Euro 2020 with England.
He has started this season in good form, though results haven’t matched performances, and is set to skipper his side this Sunday when they travel to Bournemouth.
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‘I liked watching United games growing up.’