Declan Rice says two Arsenal players are ‘different level’, he was ‘nowhere near as good’ as them

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Declan Rice developed into an exceptional footballer in his latter years at West Ham, and has arguably established himself as one of the best midfielders on the planet at Arsenal.

The Englishman joined the Gunners for £100 million in the summer of 2023, and few question the North London club’s outlandish outlay on the player.

Rice has been in exceptional form in recent months, stepping up for Mikel Arteta’s team in a time of adversity.

However, the 26-year-old has downplayed his own ability at a younger age, claiming two stars at Arsenal are already better than he was as a teenager.

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Declan Rice claims Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly were better than he was at 18

In the midst of a disappointing season for Arsenal, two shining lights have emerged from the club’s academy.

Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly have burst onto the scene, both establishing themselves as first team regulars under Arteta.

Nwaneri has asserted himself as Bukayo Saka’s deputy, while Lewis-Skelly has usurped Riccardo Calafiori in the left-back pecking order.

Speaking about the two Hale End graduates’ development this season on the Men in Blazers YouTube channel, Rice claimed that the youngsters are significantly better than he was at 18.

“They’re different levels to what I was at 18 years old,” Rice said.

“At 18, I was just breaking into the first team but I was nowhere near as good as what Myles and Ethan are, that’s just me speaking honestly.

“They’ve got a gift that comes naturally to them, it’s unbelievable to see. Whereas, I’ve had to work probably a lot, lot more on a lot of the stuff I wasn’t so good at.

“But, in terms of being 18 and looking back at my time, and how he [Lewis-Skelly] is as an 18-year-old, I think I see a lot of similarities in terms of how we are as people and how humble he is as an 18-year-old, how he’s grateful for everything, how he knows that this is only the start and he’s got to work for everything that’s to come so, it’s exciting times.”

Where was Declan Rice in his career at 18?

Rice made his senior debut at 18, coming on for West Ham as a 91st-minute substitute on the final day of the 2016/17 season.

It was the following season where he became a regular figure in the Hammers’ first team set-up under David Moyes, predominantly used as a back-up centre-back.

It wasn’t until he was 19 that he found his calling in midfield, and established himself as an indispensable figure at the heart of the East Londoners’ midfield, in the 2018/19 campaign.

Thus, Rice’s claim about Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly being better than he was at their age is probably accurate.

The former Cobham academy player was merely a central defensive prospect occasionally being given first-team minutes at 18, playing for the Republic of Ireland, while the Arsenal teenagers are already stars in a team competing at the top end of the Premier League table.