Levi’s grace under pressure is like Rio

FORMER Premier League defender Anton Ferdinand has drawn comparisons between Huddersfield Town star Levi Colwill and his brother, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand.

Colwill did not have a single professional appearance to his name before Huddersfield drafted him on loan from Chelsea – but the 19-year-old has lit up the second tier with his performances at the back.

His assured displays in the heart of the Huddersfield defence have helped the club become surprise contenders for promotion and there is already speculation swirling around where he will play his football next season.

There is reportedly interest from overseas as well as the Premier League and it is currently difficult to imagine the England under-21 international remaining in the Championship.

Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE YouTube channel, Anton Ferdinand said: “He’s definitely got the attributes to be that sort of [Rio Ferdinand] mould.

“I think when I looked at him and watched him, the first thing that I saw from him was his presence, his stature, his build.

“For someone so young, 19, to have the stature that he’s got, and he plays with an older head, which is also a good thing as a centre-back.

“Best to be left-footed, there’s not many left-footed centrebacks about and you know what it’s like, left-footed players look so much more cultured than right-footed players so that goes in his favour.

“There’s being cultured and being able to deliver. The ball at his feet is a major, major, asset to his armoury.

“He’s very, very good on the ball, he’s calm and he’s assertive with his passing, and he’s someone who can start attacks so when you look at a modern day centre-back, he’s got everything to go to the very top.”

Colwill has impressed alongside the experienced duo of Tom Lees and Matty Pearson.

Chelsea have an army of loanees but it is highly likely his levels have caught the eye of his parent club and Anton Ferdinand

has insisted he is currently ‘head and shoulders’ above Championship level.

He said: “I’m looking at this and looking at his heat map – he doesn’t mind playing high.

“When you play in a Chelsea team, that’s got to be one of your attributes as a defender and that’s one thing that also stuck out in my mind, he doesn’t mind defending one-v-one.

“When you play in the top teams, you have to be comfortable defending one-v-one. You’ve got to be able to allow your fullback to go and attack because you have 60/70 per cent of the football, you need your fullbacks because your full-backs become attackers.

“The modern day full-back is an attacker, not a defender. To allow your team to spend vast amounts of the game in the attacking half, your centre-backs need to be able to defend one-vone.

“When you look at the top teams, the [Manchester] United team with Rio and [Nemanja] Vidic, they didn’t mind it.

“He defends on the front foot as well, he’s aggressive and he defends on the front foot. That’s [an] attribute that you can’t teach.

“Aggression, you can’t teach that, you’ve either got it or you haven’t. He’s not aggressive in a malicious way, he’s aggressive and assertive in the way he defends and when you do play at the top, you need that.”

Levi Colwill and, inset, former United star Rio Ferdinand KEVIN Sinfield continues to be inspired by Rob Burrow and believes his former Leeds team-mate has ‘galvanised’ the public perception of motor neurone disease. The pair shared a dressing room at the Rhinos for nearly 15 years and returned to their old stomping ground of Headingley Stadium on Monday morning to celebrate the launch of the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon on May 14, 2023. Burrow was diagnosed in December 2019 with MND, a degenerative condition affecting nerves in the brain and spinal cord, but Sinfield remains in awe at his close friend’s resolve and fighting spirit. Sinfield said: “It’s been incredible what Rob has been able to do. It’s almost galvanised the UK. Everybody understands what MND is now because of Rob and a number of others. “He’s been so brave and courageous, but inspirational is probably the word I’d use to describe him the most. “People who were once ashamed of being diagnosed with MND, or found it difficult explaining what MND was, now aren’t. That’s such a change in people’s attitudes. “We’ve got to help these people and Rob’s right at the forefront of that and whilst he’s willing to fight like he has, we’ll continue doing what we do.” Sinfield raised more than £2m for the MND Association when in December 2020 he ran seven marathons in seven days - a nod to Burrow’s shirt number during a decorated playing career. Next year’s marathon, the first to be staged in 20 years in Leeds, will have 7,777 places available and is set to feature an altogether new route that will start and finish at Headingley Stadium. Sinfield, who appeared in 12 victorious finals alongside Burrow in a golden period in Leeds’ history, hopes the fundraising effort can accelerate plans to open a new MND Care Centre in Leeds. Sinfield said: “It’s crazy that a city like Leeds doesn’t have a marathon and it should have one. The fact it’s going to be in Rob’s name is brilliant. “He’ll be on that start line setting us off and I think [Burrow’s wife] Lindsey’s running and we’ll get as many former team-mates together and try to be hobble round. “We just want to keep banging the drum. We need to find a cure, it’s a terrible disease and it’s been massively underfunded over the years. We’re just trying to turn that around and try and help. “We’ve got to keep fighting. Every penny helps. We’d love to get the centre built in Leeds, the Rob Burrow Centre would be incredible.” ■■HUDDERSFIELD have been paired with Hull KR in the semi-finals of the Betfred Challenge Cup. In the other tie, to be played at Elland Road on May 7, holders St Helens will play the winners of the quarter-final between Wakefield and Wigan. Huddersfield have not won the cup since 1953 but a 24-16 win over Hull on Saturday put them to within 80 minutes of the final on May 28.