One Arsenal player charmed Wayne Rooney during the Gunners’ 1-0 win against Everton.
On matchday 17, Mikel Arteta watched his side return to the top of the Premier League table after being temporarily overtaken by Manchester City.
Arsenal will be at the top of the table on Christmas Day, but whether that’s a good thing is yet to be determined.
What matters is that it was another win for the Gunners, who pulled off a controlled performance away to Everton, an environment that usually poses a problem.
Arsenal are top at Christmas, how sure are you that history won’t repeat itself?
Wayne Rooney thinks Arsenal’s Declan Rice is incredible
Bukayo Saka was awarded Man of the Match after the win, but in Wayne Rooney’s eyes, the only worthy recipient was Declan Rice.
“Declan Rice is incredible. It was a pleasure watching,” Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney Show.
“He was all over the pitch and his decision making when to pass it, where to pass it, what foot to pass it to, his detail on his pass. It was a pleasure to watch. He was absolutely incredible.”
Rooney couldn’t hold back his admiration for Rice, who earned Arteta’s praise after the Everton win as well.
Describe Declan Rice’s performance for Arsenal against Everton using just three words
How good was Dec?
The Manchester United icon went on to admit that, despite the fact that Rice is regarded as one of the world’s best, some things he does are actually underrated.
“There’s detail of his passes, picking up second balls, always landing on balls, and sometimes some of the stuff he does goes a little bit underrated, but he was absolutely incredible.”
Rice never does anything in halves, which is what makes him so important to Arsenal, but Rooney’s praise didn’t end at the midfielder’s domestic success.
Rooney wants Rice to become England captain
There’s been a lot of talk about Rice becoming Arsenal’s captain, making it unsurprising to hear that Rooney wants the 26-year-old to become England’s skipper.
Change my mind: Declan Rice should be Arsenal captain from the 2026/27 season.
“Obviously, Harry Kane’s the captain, but he’s the future captain of England,” Rooney said of Rice.
“For me, he’s the one who’s probably waiting for Harry to hang his boots up. He’s the right one to take over for me because just his drive, his personality, everyone seems to love him who knows him. He’s just irreplaceable for England.”
It was remarkable praise from Rooney, praise that Tony Adams would agree with, as the Arsenal legend wanted Rice to become captain of the Gunners at the start of the season.
The only way is up for Rice, whose £105m pricetag looks like a bargain.
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