West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice has raved about Liverpool star Thiago on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Rice, who can also operate as a defender, is in awe of the Spain international midfielder, who joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2020.
The England international played against Thiago on January 31, 2020 when West Ham faced Liverpool at the London Stadium.
The Hammers suffered a 3-1 loss, and Rice has now said that Thiago showed him how it is done when playing in a holding midfield role.
Rice said about Thiago on BBC Radio 5 Live: “When I played against Thiago the other day for Liverpool, obviously he is a holding midfielder, it was a big lesson because he ran the game. The ball was like on a string. It was like he dictated the tempo of the game and he has been there and done it.”
Encouraging attitude
Rice is only 22 years of age, and it is clear that the West Ham star is not the finished article.
It is very encouraging to see that the England international is not embarrassed to say in public when he has not been as good as an opposition player.
Thiago is at the top of his game and is a decorated player, having won multiple trophies at Bayern, and it did not come as a surprise that he got the better of Rice on the day.
Perhaps in the next few years, Rice will develop into as good a player as Thiago or even become better.
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