James McClean believes Declan Rice is 'overrated' and should not be considered among the world's best midfielders.
Rice has been a key player for Arsenal since joining West Ham last summer, finishing first among his team-mates in the Premier League in many key metrics – including tackles (83), blocks (44) and set-piece assists (5).
The 25-year-old is equally important to the Three Lions, having made 52 appearances so far and starting the last of their 13 major competitions.
On Sunday, Rice completed a career-high 77 passes, created one chance and posted a 100% success rate with long balls and passes to help England beat Serbia 1-0 in their Euro 2024 opener.
James McClean brand Rice 'passed'
Things could have been very different for Rice, who played 20 times for the Republic of Ireland at various youth levels and even played in three major friendlies before switching to England in 2019.
Former Ireland international McClean – now with Wrexham – may still hold a grudge against the decision.
The former Sunderland and West Brom man hit out at Rice calling him 'excessive' while accusing him of not being able to 'dictate' games in the same way as Rodri or Toni Kroos.
“I think Declan Rice is overrated,” McClean told RTE (via GOAL). “Don't get me wrong, I think he is a great footballer, but the way the English media talk about him is very high.
“For me, he is not world class. To me, a world-class person is someone who enters every part of the world. I don't think he does. I don't think he will get into the Man City side before Rodri. For me, Toni Kroos is world class. He dictates the game, Rodri dictates the game, I don't think Declan Rice does that.”
Rice is unlikely to be fazed by McClean's strong words and will focus on helping England get another three points when they face Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday.
Source link
