Jamie Redknapp made a quite bizarre comparison between Ruben Dias, Vincent Kompany and Nemanja Matic after Manchester City’s win over Arsenal on Sunday.
Raheem Sterling’s second minute header was enough to secure a quite comfortable victory for the Sky Blues at the Etihad Stadium.
In truth, Arsenal barely had a sniff, creating very few chances of note to get themselves back into the match.
City centre-back Dias was awarded the man of the match award after the game, having completed the most passes on the pitch, had the most touches and was level for the most successful dribbles.
Dias only arrived at City last summer from Benfica for £64.2m, with many expecting him to take some time to bed in to life in the Premier League.
But his impact has been instant, prompting Redknapp to compare him with Sky Blues legend Kompany and United veteran Matic in terms of the leadership they have added to their respective sides.
"I don’t think anyone would have expected that Ruben Dias would make quite the impact he has,” Redknapp told Sky Sports. He’s a phenomenal player – a leader of men.
“Certain signings make such a difference in terms of leadership; Nemanja Matic at Manchester United, Vincent Kompany at Manchester City – they have such an affect on everyone at that club.
“They weren’t at their best today but they looked so assured."
Redknapp also discussed the gulf in class between Arsenal and City, adding: "I look at that team, at that squad, and I've said it before; until you invest.
"It's a mismatch today. Look at the squads of the two teams. Look at the two centre-backs.
"[Rob] Holding does a good job. But we're talking about a team that is full of great players and one team with one or two."
Arsenal face Benfica in the second leg of their Europa League last-32 tie on Thursday before a trip to Leicester next Sunday.
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