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 cla.
