Arsenal fans have now responded to James McClean after the pundit gave his scathing verdict of England star Declan Rice.
The vast majority of pundits seem to greatly admire Declan Rice.
The 25-year-old was sensational for Arsenal last season, and has impressed at the Euros with England so far.
The British media heaped praise on Rice after his showing for the Three Lions against Serbia in their first game of the tournament.
The midfielder is an integral figure in Gareth Southgate’s plans, and will almost certainly start for his country again this afternoon when they take on Denmark.
Arsenal fans react to James McClean criticism of Declan Rice
However, not everyone appreciates what the Arsenal star brings to the table.
Former Sunderland winger James McClean recently claimed that Rice is “overrated” and undeserving of the “hype” that surrounds him. He also stated that he would not get into the Manchester City starting XI due to the presence of Rodri.
Many Arsenal fans were incensed by these comments, and took to X to express their ire.
One fan jibed: “Pep was literally ready to spend about £95m for him but yea lets listen to James McClean.”
Another stated: “Terrible takes, because a player plays in the same position as someone ride doesn’t mean they play it the same way, Rodri is different to Rice, as much as Kante is different to them both.”
One supporter said: “Seriously!!!! Declan Rice is unbelievable.”
Another added: “I’m irish and an arsenal fan,didn’t like rice for leaving Ireland but he’s world class after watching him for a full season,any1 that says different is just bitter.”
How important is Rice to Arsenal and England?
Mikel Arteta would certainly not agree with McClean’s assessment of the 52-cap England international. After all, he smashed the Gunners’ record transfer fee to secure his services for a reason.
Rice has been described as the most important Arsenal signing since Dennis Bergkamp was brought to the club, and is an idolised figure at the Emirates Stadium.
Likewise, Southgate is hugely reliant upon Rice. No one else in the current England squad can bring what he does to the side in the middle of the park.
Arsenal winners and losers at Euro 2024
In this week’s episode, Will Jones and Rahul Lakhani discussed the first few days of the European Championships. With Arsenal players such as Kai Havertz and Kieran Tierney experiencing mixed starts to the tournament, the pair assessed which Gunners were the winners and losers from the group stages so far.
There was some talk about transfers based off the Euros, with Arsenal-linked Amadou Onana’s display for Belgium discussed, whilst Leandro Trossard’s poor performance was analysed, and Bukayo Saka’s sensational England showing lauded.