Declan Rice’s goal kept Arsenal top of the table at the weekend, with Micah Richards lavishing praise on the England midfielder, but not everyone agrees
Micah Richards has claimed Arsenal ace Declan Rice has become “one of the best players in world football”, amid criticism from Paul Scholes for not naming the England star among his elite midfielders.
The Gunners remained top of the table at the weekend, taking on Burnley with Rice scoring at Turf Moor, which was also key to all the positives for the team. The former West Ham midfielder remains on a club-record contract and continues to repay his hefty transfer fee with impressive performances.
Rice has transformed into a complete midfielder, becoming one of the first names on Arsenal and England’s team sheets, and Richards claims he has taken his game to another level since moving to the Emirates.
The 26-year-old has stepped up for the big moments last season, scoring a stunning brace against Real Madrid. The midfielder has now added a goal to his game and Richards had the highest praise.
He told The Rest is Football podcast: “I don’t like to single out players because it’s a team effort – and I have to give credit to Mikel Arteta for building that, but I have to single out Declan Rice.”
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“He’s taken his game to the next level now and is about to become one of the best players in world football. We saw a very good player at West Ham and I remember some pundits were a bit critical of what he was and what his best position was, but he’s got it all in that midfield.”
Richards’ opinion is widely shared, but Scholes, regarded as one of the Premier League’s great midfielders, has come under fire, claiming the Arsenal ace is “not my type of midfielder”. When asked to pick the best person in the world for the position, his opinion emerged.
The former Manchester United star wasn’t shy about expressing where he thought Rice could improve, suggesting he shouldn’t worry too much about the optics and insisting that Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali is a better fit for his goals.
“I really like Rice, don’t get me wrong, but I think he has it all,” he said recently. “Sometimes he touches the ball too much or tries to look more stylish than he needs to. He can do everything, but I don’t think he does it enough. I like Tonali better, but they’re both good players.”
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