Declan Rice settled in quickly at Arsenal after a big-money move from West Ham.
The 25-year-old was not fazed by the £105million fee paid by Arsenal for his signature and he came close to winning the Premier League title with the Gunners in his debut season.
He scored seven goals and assisted 10 times for Mikel Arteta’s side and was a mainstay in Arsenal’s midfield.
As a result of his form in the Premier League, Declan Rice was called up by Gareth Southgate for Euro 2024 where he played every available minute for the Three Lions.
England faced plenty of criticism over the structure of their midfield but it was widely accepted that whatever combination played in the centre of the park included Rice.
However, former Liverpool pundit Graeme Souness was far from impressed with what he saw from the Arsenal midfielder.
Graeme Souness believes Declan Rice is not a midfielder
Speaking on the Up Front podcast with Simon Jordan and Troy Deeney, Souness ranted about Rice’s performance in the Euro 2024 final against Spain and suggested that his best position is not in midfield.
“I still think Rice is a centre-half. I think that’s what he’ll be remembered for at the end of his career,” Souness said.
“Not what he is giving you in midfield, yes – he is energetic and he can do box-to-box.
“But I come back to the stat that was shown that he had one completed forward pass in 90 minutes [vs Spain].”
Declan Rice at Arsenal next season
There is no chance that Mikel Arteta will consider Rice as a defender next season – he was superb for the Gunners in the heart of midfield and that is where he will remain.
There was not much to shout about Rice’s performances in Euro 2024, but the same can be said for the majority of England’s stars.
Ultimately, Rice is very quickly becoming not just a good midfielder, but one of the best in the Premier League.
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