James McClean says Declan Rice is ‘very overrated’ and believes the ‘hype’ surrounding the Arsenal midfielder in the English media is completely ‘unjustified’.
Rice, 25, was widely praised as one of the signings of last season in the Premier League last term, playing a key role for Arsenal as Mikel Arteta’s side pushed Manchester City all the way until the final day of the campaign.
The former West Ham captain is also an established member of England’s starting XI and could be set for a monumental summer at the base of Gareth Southgate’s midfield, with the Three Lions tipped as one of the favourites at Euro 2024.
After playing the full 90 minutes of England’s 1-0 victory over Serbia, Rice is expected to continue his run in the side when Southgate’s men look to make it two wins from two against Denmark this evening.
However, ex-Republic of Ireland international McClean is yet to be fully convinced by Rice and feels the Arsenal star still has some way to go before he can be compared to the likes of Rodri and Toni Kroos.
While on punditry duty for RTE, McClean, who now turns out for League One outfit Wrexham, claimed the adulation Rice receives from English fans and pundits is ‘completely over the top’.
‘I think Declan Rice is very overrated. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a very good footballer but the way the English media wax lyrical about him, I think it’s completely over the top,’ he said.
‘For me, he’s not world class. World class to me is someone who gets in every single side in the world and I don’t think he does that.
‘I don’t think he gets in the Manchester City side ahead of Rodri. I don’t think… Kroos is now retired but, to me, Toni Kroos is world class, he dictates the game. Rodri dictates the game. I don’t think Declan Rice does that.
‘He’s not someone who is going to get on the half turn, play passes forward. He’s very good at what he does.’
Asked whether Rice is perhaps a different type of player to Rodri and Kroos, McClean replied: ‘They play the same role so why can’t they do the same things.
‘If you’re going to give him this much hype and reputation then surely he should be able to do what they do, get the ball on the half turn, play passes forward and dictate the play. I don’t think he does that.
‘He’s good at what he does. He sees danger and he puts out fires but for the hype that surrounds him, I don’t think it’s justified.’
Rice chipped in with seven goals and eight assists in his debut season at Arsenal but continues to be deployed in more of a holding role by Southgate with England.
Reflecting on England’s uninspiring Group C win over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, Gary Neville said he felt Rice’s true potential and ‘power’ was being wasted at the base of Southgate’s midfield.
‘I was sat watching the game with Roy Keane. I think Roy Keane could play holding midfield but you would be stupid if you stopped Roy Keane running forward with his power and his strength and his ability to influence the game in the final third,’ the former Manchester United and England right-back said on Sky Sports.
‘What we’re doing at the moment is we have a player with that type of power in Declan Rice and we’re asking him to sit there in midfield and sweep up.
‘He’s not a Rodri, he’s not a [Sergio] Busquets. That is not Declan Rice and Mikel Arteta has worked that out this season.
‘We just need to look at it collectively and work out how we get around it. [Jordan] Henderson and Phillips have filled those roles for years.
‘They’re not fashionable players, not necessarily the first players that fans want to see on the pitch. They want to see [Cole] Palmer and Bellingham and [Phil] Foden.
‘But to win a tournament… Real Madrid had [Toni] Kroos, [Federico] Valverde and [Eduardo] Camavinga behind Bellingham in a Champions League final. Manchester City often play with [Mateo] Kovacic and Rodri and quite often, towards the end of the season, Arsenal played with Jorginho and Declan Rice.
‘This idea that England are any different and they can just go out there with this cavalier approach and play all these talented players, I’ve never bought into.’
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