Patrick Vieira has had his say on the man now patrolling the same midfield he once dominated.
The Invincibles captain watched Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Burnley from the Sky Sports studio as a special guest on Monday Night Football.
After the match, Vieira was asked about Declan Rice and how the two would have complemented each other had they played together.
“If we were playing together, I would be more defensive than Declan,” Vieira said. “I think he’s a player who likes to project himself. He’s got the power to do this box to box.
“And I think he’s got the end product that can allow him to be more decisive, scoring more goals and giving more assists, but he plays with this kind of energy that I like in the holding midfielder.”
Is Declan Rice Arsenal’s best midfield player since Patrick Vieira?
Vieira named Rice as one of five current Arsenal players who would get into the Invincibles side, replacing Gilberto Silva in that legendary team.
High praise, though it is David Raya who gets Vieira’s backing for Premier League Player of the Season, disagreeing with Gary Neville’s pick of Bruno Fernandes.
Declan Rice could etch his name in Arsenal history
There is something genuinely refreshing about a club legend bigging up this current team so unreservedly, rather than just backing his old teammates and reminding everyone that the Invincibles were, actually, quite good.
Patrick Vieira was the heartbeat of that side, and he recognises in Rice something of that same irreplaceability. The engine. The one the whole thing runs through.
Rice has grown into one of the most complete midfielders in European football this season, and has justified every penny of the £105 million spent on him three years ago.
Should Arsenal complete a historic Premier League and Champions League double in the next fortnight, Rice will have every right to join the likes of Vieira and Cesc Fabregas in conversations about the club’s best ever midfielder.
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