Declan Rice could be the greatest English midfielder of his generation, claims Jamie Carragher, who compares him to iconic Premier League star
Jamie Carragher believes Declan Rice can be the greatest English midfielder of his generation after his stunning brace against Real Madrid.
Rice broke the deadlock with an exceptional free-kick from range, before following it up just 12 minutes later with an even better effort that arced into the top corner.
Mikel Merino then added a third in the 75th minute to make it 3-0, and the Gunners closed out a massive clean sheet win against the competition’s holders, with Rice naturally picking up the Player of the Match award for his standout performance.
Since that point he has received widespread praise for his performance, with some pundits likening him to English greats Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
However, Carragher believes Rice is more in the ilk of former Manchester United captain Roy Keane, who wasn’t known for his goalscoring prowess but was still highly effective.
‘I have always said Rice has the potential to be the great English midfielder of his generation, and he showed why,’ Carragher wrote in his Telegraph column.
Jamie Carragher believes Declan Rice can be the greatest English midfielder of his generation
Rice was named Man of the Match against Real Madrid after his two stunning free-kicks
Carragher has likened Rice to former Manchester United captain Roy Keane (right)
‘Too often he seems to be criticised for not scoring or creating enough goals, when that is not his primary function.
‘He does not play in the same attacking midfield position as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard in their prime. To me, Rice has always been more of a Roy Keane, who scored 57 across his 473 senior club games.
‘If Arsenal go through, Rice’s contribution over both legs will rightly be as revered by his supporters as much as Keane’s for United against Juventus in 1999.’
After his double at the Emirates on Tuesday, Rice himself admitted he feels it will take a while for his achievements to hit him as he basked in the success of the night.
In more than 330 games as a professional, he had previously never scored a direct free-kick, and then he managed to net two in 12 minutes.
He said: ‘I don’t know if it will ever sink in. My phone has gone crazy.
‘To score the first and second, I fancied both and to have the confidence… I am a bit speechless, it is a nice bit of history to beat Madrid.
‘The manager just said, with the individual quality they have, it is scary and special things happen at the Bernabeu. We are not going to defend, we are going to attack and we want to be in the semis.
It was the first time Rice had scored a direct free-kick and two arrived in 12 minutes
‘No messages from David Beckham, I’m not lucky enough to have his number. But I am so happy.’
On his first free-kick, he revealed shooting wasn’t originally the plan – but he was persuaded by a team-mate.
‘We had a good discussion before each one,’ he said. ‘Martin [Odegaard] was saying to cross, I said it doesn’t make sense and to chip it like that – it’s not a risk but it’s hard.
‘We practise them all the time. Nicolas Jover (set-piece coach) is telling me to cross and it didn’t make sense.
‘Bukayo (Saka) said if you feel it, go for it. I looked at the wall and keeper and said I could bend it and that’s what happened. He (Jover) is claiming it and he told me to cross it!’
