Declan Rice has a lot of work to do to reach the level of Manchester City rival Rodri, according to the Arsenal’s star’s former manager David Moyes.
The England international moved from West Ham to the Emirates last summer in a deal worth a record £105million and he delivered, putting in masterful performances at the heart of midfield.
It wasn’t enough to beat City to the Premier League title however, and Rice was to experience more disappointment when the Three Lions lost the Euro 2024 final to Spain with Rodri at the heart of their team.
Rice and Rodri have been considered the two best defensive midfielders in the world, but Moyes believes that while his former star is capable to reaching the heights of City and Spain superstar, he’s not there yet.
‘I think Declan Rice still has a lot to do to be at the level of Rodri. Rodri is immense at the moment,’ the ex-Irons boss told William Hill.
‘I think Declan has the capabilities to get to that level and we mustn’t forget that he’s still youthful. He grew into his leadership role at West Ham. I used to have a go at him and bait him; he didn’t like it, but I think it helped me get a bit extra out of him.
‘A lot of people thought he wouldn’t be worth the £100 million that Arsenal bought him for, but I actually thought – and people laughed at me for it – that he was worth £150 million.
‘When you look at other players who’ve joined Premier League teams for similar fees, I think he has been worth above that.’
Rice’s stock fell during the Euros after a series of poor performances, in contrast to Rodri who is now a frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or having been named player of the tournament.
‘People said that Declan Rice didn’t play well in the Euros and I’d have to agree with that,’ Moyes added.
‘However, not many England players came out of that tournament with pass marks. For so many good players to be below par shows that it wasn’t just down to one individual’s poor performances.
‘Declan Rice was very good at taking criticism on board. When I made him captain, I told him that he would have to take a few hits at times. He picked up a lot from Mark Noble who was one of the old school characters in the squad.
‘Initially it wasn’t in his psyche to be a leader but he grew into it. He became more of a leader and I think he’ll go on to be captain of England.’
Due to his participation at the Euros, Rice has missed Arsenal’s pre-season tour of the USA, but will link up with the team when they return in the next few days, with friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon to come.
The Gunners kick-off their 2024/25 campaign against Wolves at the Emirates on August 17.
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