Former Arsenal defender William Gallas has dismissed the quality of William Saliba.

Gallas insists there's several defenders who are superior to his fellow Frenchman.

He told Lord Ping: "Let's calm down about William Saliba.

"I like Saliba, and I think he's a really good player, but as far as I'm concerned, the best defenders in the world have to play in their national teams and be a constant in their starting XI.

"Saliba isn't a starter for France yet, but when he's in the line-up and he's performing as well as he does at club level, then we can discuss him being the world's best defender.

"At the moment, he could be one of the best defenders in Europe. There's a difference.

"Thiago Silva comes to mind when thinking about truly world-class defenders.

"He was great in the past, and he's great now, even at his age. I also like Josko Gvardiol, and he's a great example of a player who adapted to a new system straight away.

"Look at how he plays now compared to how he played at RB Leipzig – the way he's adapted is unbelievable and he's a world-class defender.

"There's also Raphael Varane. He may not be at his best at the moment, but what he's achieved speaks for itself.

"Virgil van Dijk is great, too, even if he's not quite been the same since his injury. He was top-class back then, but he's making some mistakes now. He's not perfect, but he's still very good."