GRAEME SOUNESS has once again bizarrely laid into Declan Rice – who he reckons is playing out of his true position.
The Liverpool legend lambasted Rice after England‘s World Cup semi-final exit to Argentina, branding him a “limited” player.
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And the Scot also claimed the Arsenal midfielder “WON’T GET ANY BETTER“.
Rice was, in the eyes of many, one of England’s best performers at the World Cup and played an integral role in Arsenal ending their 22-year-long wait to lift the Premier League trophy last season.
But Souness has doubled down on his stance on the midfielder, who he reckons is a de facto centre-back.
During an appearance on Piers Morgan‘s Football Uncensored show, he said: “How many times do you see him as the last man with the ball.
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“In the build-up, he’s last man. He’s sitting between two centre-halves or between the centre-half and the full-back. He’s last man.
“A lot of the time, he doesn’t play in midfield. ‘In my second or third home game (of my career), I went into the back four like all midfield players do today. It’s old man’s football. It’s cheating.
” An old man’s way of playing midfield. You get the ball under no pressure and you play it out to the full-back.
Souness added: “He plays too deep to affect the game. I don’t think he’s got enough football. Let me tell you what he can do.
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“He’s the best defensive midfielder in the country right now, he smells danger. But then again, he’s back there all the time.
“He’s not a midfield player then is he? I think he may be a centre-half.
“The ball travels faster than you do. I see him run with the ball 30 yards and pass it square.
“He’s a lovely kicker of the ball and opens his body up well, there’s nothing to dislike about him. But modern players are a bit precious.
“Criticism doesn’t fall easily on these [players’] shoulders. He isn’t the complete midfield player.”
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Gunners superfan Morgan leapt to Rice’s defence, insisting the former West Ham man is a world class midfielder.
Souness firmlu replied: “I’m not sure if he gets in Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Man City.
“If you want the best in that position, City had two of them – Fernandinho and Rodri.
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“They played in midfield. Next time, please watch him. He goes in and gets it cheap under no pressure, a 10-yard pass off Gabriel, and passes it sideways.”
Rice and his Arsenal team-mates will be back in action tomorrow night, travelling to Naples to take on Napoli in their Champions League opener.