Manchester United icon Gary Neville has now made a surprising claim about Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice’s limitations.
Arsenal star Declan Rice has been one of the outstanding players in the Premier League this season.
Former Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew recently admitted that he would pick Rice over Manchester City ace Phil Foden as his Player of the Season award winner.
The 25-year-old arrived at the Emirates Stadium in the recent summer transfer window, joining from West Ham United. Having developed a reputation as one of the best defensive midfielders in the game in his time in East London, he hit the ground running for the Gunners and hasn’t looked back since.
Rice came into Mikel Arteta’s squad as a proven No. 6. He has now shown that he can be far more than that though, and that he is capable of making an impact at both ends of the pitch.
Arteta encouraged Rice to take up a more advanced role. The England star has now enjoyed the best season of his career so far in front of goal, as he has racked up seven goals and ten assists, across all competitions.
In the second half of the campaign especially, Rice has regularly been deployed as a No. 8, with either Jorginho or Thomas Partey sitting behind him at the base of the Arsenal midfield trio, in the No. 6 role, protecting the back four.
Rice now has his sights set on becoming the best box-to-box midfielder in the world. Gary Neville agrees that this is where his focus ought to be.
Gary Neville makes surprise criticism of Arsenal star Declan Rice
The pundit picked Rice in his personal Premier League team of the season selection. However, he was at pains to point out that he prefers the player in a more attack-minded role.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the former full-back stated: “Rice is not that position [#6], that’s been established this season, that Partey or Jorginho have had to come in. Rice can’t play that position [#6] very well, he’s better on the left [as an #8]. That’s been established by Mikel Arteta.
“That position [#6] is a different level of intelligence, I’m not saying Declan Rice is not an intelligent football player, I think he’s a sensational player & how he’s improved has been unbelievable, but I don’t think he can play in that position with real discipline.”
Declan Rice enjoying extra freedom afforded him at Arsenal
In all honesty, it is harsh to say that Rice lacks discipline when playing in a more defensive role. He has shown on numerous occasions throughout his career, be it when representing Arsenal, West Ham, or England, that he can can operate brilliantly as a defensive-midfielder, focused on breaking up opposition attacks.
However, it is true that he seems to have taken his game to another level since being unleashed further up the pitch. Unshackled from those defensive responsibilities to some extent, he can now express himself more and play with greater freedom.
The challenge now facing Arteta revolves around how to rebuild the Arsenal midfield unit around Rice, as both Partey and Jorginho are in the twilight years of their careers.