United legend believes the successor to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is Mbappe, not Neymar

What's the story?

Former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand has heaped praise on Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe, stating that the Frenchman is likely to be the successor of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the years to come.

In case you didn't know...

In recent years, Mbappe has emerged as one of the best attacking talents in the game, netting 50 goals for Paris Saint-Germain since his move to the Parc des Princes.

The 20-year-old won the Ligue 1 title in his debut season before going on to win the FIFA World Cup with his home country last summer.

In recent weeks, Mbappe has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid as the Spanish giants are looking for efficient reinforcements to bolster their squad after what was a disastrous season for them.

The heart of the matter

Ferdinand has stated that while he initially thought Neymar would be the one to succeed two of the best players in the game, he now believes that Mbappe is the man for the job.

Speaking to The Irish Independent, the former United defender said,

We have been lucky to witness the brilliance of Messi and Ronaldo in the last few years, but their incredible careers will soon come to an end and Mbappe is the most likely player to fill the void they will leave behind at the top of the game.

He further added, "It looked like Neymar would be the man when he was coming through at Barcelona and then made the world record move to PSG, but Mbappe is moving ahead of him in my view."

"He is on another level when you see the pace he has and has become virtually unstoppable when he is at his best."

"You could see the Manchester United defenders looking worried every time Mbappe got the ball at Old Trafford a couple of weeks back and that is what he can do to you... put fear into the opposition."

"If he continues to develop and prove he can do it season after season, winning big trophies and making the difference in the games that matter, he can be the man to take over from Messi and Ronaldo."

What's next?

After crashing out of the Champions League on Wednesday, PSG will next face Dijon FCO in the Ligue 1 on Tuesday.