"He's making players feel a million dollars" - Rio Ferdinand makes incredible Jose Mourinho claim about highly-rated Premier League boss

Premier League icon Rio Ferdinand has made bold claims regarding Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi, comparing him to Jose Mourinho.

De Zerbi has made a stunning start to life in the Premier League with the Seagulls after taking charge of the Sussex-based side in September 2022. The Italian has overseen a significant improvement at Brighton, who were already quite impressive under Graham Potter.

Since Potter left the club to join Chelsea, the Seagulls have looked like an even better side under Roberto De Zerbi.

Rio Ferdinand has raved about the Italian manager and has claimed that he has never heard such glowing remarks about any manager from players. The former Manchester United defender has claimed that he had talks with Brighton stars Adam Lallana and Danny Welbeck regarding the young manager.

Lallana played under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool while Welbeck played under both Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.

Danny Welbeck and Adam Lallana have described Roberto De Zerbi as “the one” in a conversation with Rio Ferdinand. 👇

#BHAFC 🔵⚪️ https://t.co/eeL2DEsDTj

Ferdinand has revealed that the last time he heard a player talking about a manager so highly was when Jose Mourinho was in charge of Chelsea. He said on his Five YouTube channel:

“I saw Welbz [Danny Welbeck] the other day, and Adam Lallana. And the way they spoke about this guy, I’ve never seen them speak about a manager like that."

He added:

"The last time I saw a player speak about a manager like this was when [Jose] Mourinho was here at Chelsea. The detail he puts in. The players are going on the pitch, knowing exactly what to do. He's making players feel a million dollars."

Brighton are eighth in the table right now with 38 points in 23 games. They trail fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur by seven points with three games in hand.

Pundit claims former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho could rejoin Premier League club

Frank McAvennie has claimed that Jose Mourinho could be on his way back to the Premier League. The former West Ham United striker feels that the Portuguese mastermind could return to Chelsea for the third time and bring Tammy Abraham with him.

McAvennie told Football Insider:

"They have that option to bring Abraham back for around £65million and he'd be the first-choice striker at Stamford Bridge. He's doing well in Italy with Roma and with Jose Mourinho."

He added:

"And I wouldn't rule out Mourinho coming back to the Premier League too, that could be interesting to keep an eye on. I just have the feeling that he's had enough in Italy. I've heard whispers that he wants a way back to the Premier League."

😂🥶 There are two types of people in this world: one is José Mourinho, the other is Tammy Abraham! https://t.co/zpBfuQnJ57

Chelsea have struggled this season and Graham Potter has been severely criticized by fans for his inability to turn things around. The Blues are tenth in the Premier League table and Mourinho could certainly be considered if Potter faces a sacking.