Ferdinand added: “You see what he did on the edge of his own box yesterday a couple of times. He shut down the guy who came on as a sub, Matheus [Nunes]. He’s an unbelievable runner with the ball by the way. Declan said ‘Just give me the ball man, give me the ball’.
“It takes personality, it takes character to be able to walk into a dressing room immediately and go ‘I’m the guy’. That’s what it seems like.
“His whole persona at the moment is saying to me ‘Listen, if you’re under a bit of pressure, throw it to me and I’m going to alleviate that pressure and I’ve got the b******s to do it’. He’s doing that with the ball, he’s doing it without it.
“It’s like ‘If you need anyone to go and show someone what time it is, I’m the guy, step out the way, Declan’s coming’. That’s how he’s moving and I love it.”
