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Patrick Vieira says ‘underrated’ Arsenal star is actually one of his ‘favourite’ players
Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira knows a good player when he sees one.
The Frenchman, who is an absolute icon of the Premier League and world football, shared the pitch with some of the greatest players in the history of the game.
The likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Zinedine Zidane, Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Del Piero among other greats were all his teammates at one point.
Vieira has a better eye for talent than most others, and he has now claimed that he is a huge fan of one current Arsenal player.
Patrick Vieira explains why Arsenal’s Declan Rice is one of his favourite players
Arsenal smashed their transfer record to sign Declan Rice in the summer of 2023.
The England international was already one of the best midfielders in the Premier League at the time, but he has now gone up to a whole new level.
Rice has played both in a box-to-box role as well as a number six under Arteta and he has excelled in both positions over the last 12 months.
The jury is still out about which Rice’s best position is, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is one of the best in the country in both roles.
Vieira, who is arguably the greatest midfielder in the history of the Premier League, has now claimed that Rice is one of his favourite players.
He said in a video released by Arsenal on Tuesday: “I like him because he is a team player, and I think when you play in that position you have to be the one who sacrifices yourself for the team.
“You have to win the ball, and you have to give it to the players who can make the difference, and it is a really difficult position, because you work hard for the team but you may not get a lot of credit like the guys who score those goals.
“When you’re looking at the Arsenal from last year, and I hope this year again, he will be an important key for the team, because he will do all the dirty work, who will make the other ones look good, and to allow the ones to make a difference in the last 30 yards.
“He is one of my favourite players in the Premier League, because he sacrifices himself, he works hard for the team, and he is a team player.”
Declan Rice’s position could change soon
Rice played a big chunk of the 2023/24 season as a box-to-box midfielder and his numbers there prove that he was really good – seven goals and 10 assists in all competitions.
The England star, branded as a ‘very underrated player’ by Don Hutchison on , started in the same role in the first game of this season against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Thomas Partey played as a six.
However, we think that will change in the coming weeks.
Arsenal are close to signing Mikel Merino, and the Spanish midfielder is expected to be deployed in the Granit Xhaka role as a left-sided number eight.
That would push Rice back to a defensive midfield role, which was always his position before he joined the Gunners in 2023.