Gary Neville has delivered another opinion that Arsenal supporters are unlikely to agree with.
The former Manchester United defender was discussing England’s squad ahead of the World Cup when he made a bold claim about the quality available to Thomas Tuchel.
There is no question that England possess some outstanding players, but Neville believes only one of them deserves to be described as genuinely world-class – Harry Kane.
That statement may have gone down well in Munich, but it is unlikely to be received quite as warmly in the red side of North London.
Use your best gif to react to Harry Kane being awarded a cannon😂
You can take Harry Kane out of Arsenal, but can you take the Arsenal out of Harry Kane?
Gary Neville says Harry Kane is England’s only world-class player
There are very few football fans who would argue against Kane being world-class.
The England captain has been one of the most consistent goalscorers in football for years and continues to produce incredible numbers for both club and country.
Whether at Tottenham, Bayern Munich or with England, Kane has repeatedly shown that he belongs among the elite forwards of his generation.
Gary Neville clearly feels the same way.
Speaking about England’s squad, the pundit singled out Kane as the only player who belongs in football’s highest bracket.
He said, as per Sky Sports: “He’s a star. You talk about England having talented players, but we have one genuinely world-class player and that is Harry Kane.”
The problem with that claim is not Kane’s inclusion; it is everyone else’s exclusion.
Arsenal supporters may understand why Bukayo Saka was left out of the conversation after dealing with injuries over the last 18 months.
However, there is one player whose omission makes absolutely no sense.
After the season Declan Rice has just produced, suggesting he is not world-class feels completely detached from reality.
Name every player in the Arsenal squad who is ‘world-class’ right now
Declan Rice is every bit as world-class as Harry Kane
Rice has just enjoyed the best season of his career.
He was one of the driving forces behind Arsenal’s Premier League title triumph and played a huge role in helping the Gunners reach the Champions League final.
Week after week, he dominated games against the strongest opponents in England and Europe. Whether Arsenal needed a ball-winner, a leader, a box-to-box midfielder or someone to produce a moment of quality, Rice delivered.
That is what world-class players do.
There may only be a handful of midfielders on the planet who can influence matches the way Rice does right now. In fact, if Arsenal were forced to sell him tomorrow, there is not a club in world football that would turn down the opportunity to sign him.
Kane is unquestionably world-class, but he is not alone. Rice has earned the right to be mentioned in exactly the same conversation, and Neville’s claim will rightly leave many Arsenal fans shaking their heads.
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