Wrexham star brands Arsenal's Declan Rice 'overrated' and directs Man City dig at him

Declan Rice has been branded 'overrated' by his former Ireland colleague James McClean. The Arsenal midfielder made the switch in international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to England in 2019, after having played only in friendlies for Ireland, despite making three appearances.

Since then, he's become one of the most highly regarded players in his position globally.

Rice made a significant move last summer, transferring across London from West Ham to Arsenal for a record fee of over £100million, and was instrumental in Arsenal's resurgence under Mikel Arteta last season. He's now looking to overcome the disappointment of Euro 2020 (played in 2021), where he was part of the England team that suffered a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat in the final at Wembley.

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Despite anchoring Gareth Southgate's midfield in the opening group match against Serbia, Wrexham star McClean remains unimpressed. "Don't get me wrong, I think he's a very good footballer, but the way the English media wax lyrical about him is completely over the top," said McClean during RTE's coverage of the Euros.

McClean compared Rice to Germany's Jamal Musiala, who has impressed with two goals in as many games this tournament, suggesting that Rice doesn't live up to the hype and is 'very overrated'. "For me, he's not world class," added the Derry native, reports Football London.

He elaborated on his point by defining what he considers world-class: "To me, world-class is someone who gets in every side in the world. I don't think he does that. I don't think he gets in the Man City side ahead of Rodri."

"I know Toni Kroos is now retiring, but to me Toni Kroos is world class. He dictates the game, Rodri dictates the game, I don't think Declan Rice does that. He's not someone who is going get on the half turn and play passes forward. He is very good at what he does."

"They play the same role, so why can't they do the same things? " he questioned.

McClean continued: "If you're going to give me this much hype and reputation, then surely he should be able to do what they do? That's get the ball on the half turn, play passes forward, and dictate the play. I don't think he does that."

While acknowledging Rice's abilities in his defensive midfield position, McClean remains unconvinced by the hype surrounding him: "He's good at what he does. He sees danger and puts out fires, but for the hype that surrounds him, I don't think it's justified."

Adding to the analysis, Kevin Doyle compared Rice to a football legend, albeit with a critical edge: "He's a poor man's Roy Keane, I suppose. A similar style of play without his intensity and aggression."