Rio Ferdinand has heaped glowing praise on Emile Smith Rowe - and claimed the Arsenal youngster would have flourished under Arsene Wenger's stewardship.
Smith Rowe, 20, has been forced to bide his time to break into the Arsenal first-team fold but this season, he has enjoyed a sensational breakout campaign under Mikel Arteta.
A string of injuries, coupled with a run of poor form, forced Arteta to promote the youngster and he has reaped the rewards, with the star emerging as a driving force in the Gunners' attack.
And Ferdinand has been left in awe of Smith Rowe's performance, despite initially fearing that the loan arrival of Real Madrid star Martin Odegaard would limit his first-team appearances.
Speaking on the latest episode of Ferdinand's Vibe with Five podcast, he said: "I have to say, I love him. I love the way he plays, Smith Rowe.
"I was worried actually when Odegaard came in - would the manager play them both in the same team?
"But he’s come in this season and just there’s sometimes even that cheekiness about the way that he plays, the way he lends the ball about.
"I said this a while ago, he could've played in the era of Wenger in the way that he plays football.
"He makes that extra pass, always seems to have that bit of time on the ball, plays with his head up and he’s got that vision and spatial awareness in finding someone in a red shirt.
"He’s been a breath of fresh air and a big positive under Arteta. I think Saka’s obviously been the stand-out young gun that’s come in but he’s not very far behind. For the future, I think it’s very bright for him."
Ferdinand's comments come after Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg criticised Arsenal's decision to sign Odegaard on loan, claiming it could hinder Smith Rowe's progress.
The Norwegian was signed for the remainder of this season and has become an instant fixture in the Gunners starting line-up.
One consequence of that has been Smith Rowe being moved out of his traditional No.10 role, into more of a left winger.
Asked if he was surprised by the signing, he told Sky Sports: “Yes, I’m a little bit like – Odegaard is a great player, don’t get me wrong.
"But if you have young players in the same kind of position that you want to develop, you take someone on loan, that you don’t have a buy option on, you’re just developing for another club, like Madrid in this case.
“I don’t understand that 100%. I think if we want to go forward with Arsenal as a football club, it’s the young ones that will make a difference.
"They need games and Emile doesn’t need to be a winger, being a moved for another player. He needs to play in his position.”
Ljungberg handed Smith Rowe his senior bow after he replaced Unai Emery in 2019 and added that he was always convinced that the academy graduate had a bright future at the club.
He added: “I was always convinced about him, that’s why I gave him his debut. I was criticised by some, who thought ‘what is going on here?’.
“But I felt he would benefit from starting a game and learning from it and he has so much talent. He’s strong, good understanding of the game and very good feet, he has a bright future."
