Rio Ferdinand picks Chelsea youngster as standout player of Champions League final
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has singled out Chelsea defender Reece James as his standout player of the UEFA Champions League final.
Chelsea won the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Manchester City, courtesy of a first-half goal by Kai Havertz. James, who started as a right sided wing-back, put in an impressive performance on the night.
The Englishman was tasked with marking his compatriot Raheem Sterling for most of the game, and completely negated the Manchester City forward's influence on the proceedings.
Following the game, BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand heaped praise onto the Chelsea defender for his impressive performance. He said:
"I have to talk about someone like Reece James because he’s a product of the youth academy. We spoke about a lot of players, Mason Mount and [Phil] Foden before - and rightly so - but there have been question marks about him (Reece James), not only in a Chelsea shirt, but in an England shirt, should he be involved or not because there’s a great amount of right-backs in this country. He’s performed today on the biggest stage and he was the standout. Immense."
The 21-year old is set to be named in Gareth Southgate's final England squad, which will be heading to the European Championship next month.
Ferdinand impressed by Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel
The former Manchester United defender was also full of praise for Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel after the game. He said:
"Thomas Tuchel has come in and put on a tactical masterclass today. To do what he has done coming halfway through the season is nothing short of a magician. They’ve had to come together as a squad, a lot of doubt was put on them as a team and as individuals but now they have marched on."
"He has come into this country and played Pep Guardiola’s side three times this season and won all three. This will tie these players and members of staff together for life. This is what they will be talking about in WhatsApp groups together for years and years to come. I have it now and these guys have joined that club."
The Chelsea boss is set to be offered a three-year contract extension following his heroics this season.
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