Neville says Arsenal star is ‘more clinical’ than Ronaldo was at same age

The former Manchester United captain reserved special praise for Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe in a surprise Cristiano Ronaldo comparison.

Gary Neville reckons Emile Smith Rowe is ‘more clinical’ than Cristiano Ronaldo was at the same age.

The 21-year-old, a product of Arsenal’s academy, has replaced Mesut Ozil as the club’s newest No.10 and continues to impress even though results have not always gone to plan at the Emirates.

On Friday, Smith Rowe again showed his potential with another fine performance against Aston Villa. He assisted Thomas Partey for Arsenal’s first goal before scoring later on to seal a 3-1 win.

Now Neville has challenged the English youngster to emulate Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah’s example.

“Cristiano was the first person I ever heard to say he undoubtedly wanted to be the best player in the world,” he told Sky Sports.

“It’s quite unusual to hear a player [say that] because everybody talks about the team and the collective. To hear Mo Salah say it is refreshing. I think you can say these things when you are delivering, and these two have delivered now consistently.

“Ronaldo now for 10, 15 years and Mo Salah for five, six years, and beyond. They are absolutely deadly. They are ruthless and clinical.

“Everything that Smith Rowe [wants to be], he’s a beautiful footballer Smith Rowe, and he’s got a long way to go in his career. Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t as clinical and ruthless at that age.

“But that’s where he has got to get to. To the point whereby every single game, they want to be the best. They want to score the winner. They believe they are going to score the winner. Confidence is unbelievable.’”

Arsenal are back in action on Tuesday evening for an EFL Cup match against Leeds United. For match details and betting tips, check out the link here.