Declan Rice

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Lash

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This DM experiment with him needs to end. I think he'd be a top drawer CB, should just go back to what he does well.
 

Raees

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Ran out of patience with him, hasn’t developed his positional play off the ball in terms of receiving ball off CBs and very cautious and ponderous on the ball. Was a fan but I agree needs to move towards CB. When Winks was operating deeper the other day, night and day when there is a more natural DLP in there.

 

Mainoldo

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Rice is trash and Winks too!! The day England produce good midfielders again. I mean McSauce would walk into this team if he picked England.
 

Raees

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Rice is trash and Winks too!! The day England produce good midfielders again. I mean McSauce would walk into this team if he picked England.
Winks was dreadful as an 8... but as a pivot he’s a decent player IMO - better than anyone else they have for that role i.e. Dier and Rice. 8 requires more of an engine and he lacks the running for that role.. reminds me abit of Andreas Pereira in that respect.
 

Adam-Utd

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Rice is trash and Winks too!! The day England produce good midfielders again. I mean McSauce would walk into this team if he picked England.
Rice is awful, but winks is definitely not trash at all. In terms of balance he gives England something different, he’s comfortable in possession and press resistant, but can also carry the ball forward in tight space and play some nice through balls.

no coincidence that we play much better as a team with him in it.
 

Ace of Spades

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I never got the hype around him, always looked like a CB forced to play in midfield. Could work as a very limited destroyer, but not someone who is reliable on the ball.
 

Isotope

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Isn't he only 20 y.o.? He was pretty good against us. Better than McTom in that game.
 

Cee90

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If you can’t see that a 20 year old Declan Rice is a very talented footballer who can only improve, then I don’t know what to say really.

Sure, I wouldn’t want us to spend £70/80 million + on him at this stage, but I am confident he will become a very good player.

Some people are way too quick to dismiss a players ability after a bad game or two. A lot of you did this exact same thing to Tammy Abraham when he missed that penalty, now he’s proving to be one of the best strikers in the league this season. Our own fans even did the same with McTominay and he’s arguably been our best player this season.

Every player is different and will take a different trajectory, but my point is sometimes it’s too easy to write young players off, especially when a blind man can see they are talented.
 
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Craig Ward

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He's a good player, no doubt.

I've not seen enough of him at CB to say if he is better there or at DM, but given he plays DM weekly for West Ham and starts there for England suggests he's a DM and will stay there.

With utds interest, I like many others am wary of the huge fee. There's way better players out there in his position, or equally good players for half the price. I'd stay well clear purely because his value is already around the 60-70mil mark.

I personally prefer Winks playing there, he's a better footballer.
 

RussellWilson

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He covers the ground in front of the defence really well but isn't currently anywhere near good on the ball.

I can see him working somewhat in Pochettino's old system when he had the DM drop into CB and have the full backs push on high and wide, with an 8 dropping in to build up play. Kind of like how he used Dier when he went on a good run of form for Spurs and England.
 

12OunceEpilogue

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He would replace Matic. As long as he can provide stability and help us control the midfield, he doesn't need to stand out.
So could the lamppost outside my house to be honest. I don't want to talk about replacing Matic with another steady Eddie for £80-100m when what we need is dynamism and quality on the ball in the first XI. Rice has plenty of time to improve those key aspects of his game but he is showing nothing like the quality we sorely need at the moment, and as for England I much prefer Harry Winks as the deepest player in a three.

Ran out of patience with him, hasn’t developed his positional play off the ball in terms of receiving ball off CBs and very cautious and ponderous on the ball. Was a fan but I agree needs to move towards CB. When Winks was operating deeper the other day, night and day when there is a more natural DLP in there.

Good stuff, I think Winks is head and shoulders above Rice as a DLP.
 

17Larsson

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At one stage in yesterday's game there was a counter attack and he happened to be the furthest forward of the midfielders, he passed it to the wing and then just stopped running. There was loads of space in front of him and nobody else to help the winger and it was against Kosovo in a dead rubber game.
If he doesn't have the instinct to attack in that position and in those circumstances why is he a midfielder?
 

StrettyEnder07

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Rice is just a massive no for me, 80M quid is ridiculous, didn't look to bad a deal when the fee being talked about was 40M but that has now doubled (not sure why as he has gotten worse for me).

Not sure what he is like but a lot of noise about the DMC in Germany, Zakaria, half the price, even just play McTominay as a 6 and buy an elite passing midfielder with Pogba further ahead.

Van Der Beek, Rakitic etc.
 

Mark Pawelek

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yeah i think the general consensus in this thread is incredibly harsh on the player. i think he looks a really good prospect. i don't think he's a priority area by any means, but not going to turn my nose up at him if we do somehow get him. he'll cost a bit, though.
He's not worth the money they want. No one pays that kind of money for a 'prospect', who's so limited in their football.
 

Mainoldo

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Rice is awful, but winks is definitely not trash at all. In terms of balance he gives England something different, he’s comfortable in possession and press resistant, but can also carry the ball forward in tight space and play some nice through balls.

no coincidence that we play much better as a team with him in it.
When I’ve seen him for Spurs he hasn’t got much about him. If you watch him carefully his pass variation is awful. Not as bad as Rice but nowhere near the levels some are suggesting. Basically he’s no Eriksen. We really need to be expecting better from these midfielders. He hasn’t got the Physicality of an Eric Dier either for him to have the control of a midfield playing a number 6 role.
 

Bebestation

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He covers the ground in front of the defence really well but isn't currently anywhere near good on the ball.

I can see him working somewhat in Pochettino's old system when he had the DM drop into CB and have the full backs push on high and wide, with an 8 dropping in to build up play. Kind of like how he used Dier when he went on a good run of form for Spurs and England.
This is what he is to be - the modern day Libero / Sweeper type player.

People confuse him for his lack of attacking ability maybe compare him to a centre midfielder or even a DLP. However, if we ever start playing 352, 3511, 343 - then players like Rice start looking move valuable.

I actually really liked Dier during that run when he dropped in between the back 2 to make a back 3.
 

Champagne Football

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I think whoever England's next opponents in upcoming friendlies turn out to be, you'd think if Kalvin Philips gets called up, then he might just move ahead of Rice in the pecking order pretty quickly.
 

poleglass red

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At one stage in yesterday's game there was a counter attack and he happened to be the furthest forward of the midfielders, he passed it to the wing and then just stopped running. There was loads of space in front of him and nobody else to help the winger and it was against Kosovo in a dead rubber game.
If he doesn't have the instinct to attack in that position and in those circumstances why is he a midfielder?
at one stage in the game he made an excellent track back to be England's last man and make a great block tackle on the Kosovo striker who had a one on one with the keeper. I too think he's overrated at this stage of his career, but then again I think Haaland is overrated also at this stage, but he's flavour of the month right now, just like Rice was not so long ago.I think Rice is a good player, with the potential to be very good, but some of the criticism is a bit over the top, just like the plaudits he was getting not so long go were as well. I see Keane criticised him, and while he makes some good points, the lad is 20 yrs of age. Roy Keane wasn't the finished article when he was 20. I also think there was a bit of self preservation there as well, because if Rice had of played a competitive game when Roy and Martin were manager, he wouldn't be playing for England right now. For a country not exactly loaded with quality players, in hindsight they messed up on this one.
 

Lash

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He covers the ground in front of the defence really well but isn't currently anywhere near good on the ball.

I can see him working somewhat in Pochettino's old system when he had the DM drop into CB and have the full backs push on high and wide, with an 8 dropping in to build up play. Kind of like how he used Dier when he went on a good run of form for Spurs and England.
This just keeps reinforcing to me that he's actually just a CB, just like Dier was. The system made him one as soon as they attack when the wingbacks push up, so for all intents and purposes he was just another CB and they were really just playing a back 3.
 

Seaman

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This just keeps reinforcing to me that he's actually just a CB, just like Dier was. The system made him one as soon as they attack when the wingbacks push up, so for all intents and purposes he was just another CB and they were really just playing a back 3.
he is what David Luiz was as DM. He has the defensive awareness of a defender and tackles like one
 

roonster09

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he is what David Luiz was as DM. He has the defensive awareness of a defender and tackles like one
Luiz has superb passing range and picks passes from defensive third.

Rice is still young player though, plenty of time to add more to his game.
 

Nou_Camp99

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Garner has more ability in his little toe than Rice has. Let's give Jimmy the chance first eh?
 

Jibbs

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I think he is not overrated, he's a diamond in rough who needs polishing. Definitely not an 80 m player currently but has the potential to become one. I'd say he's worth around 50/55 m including British bonus. The criticism was harsh from Keane, he definitely has flaws in his game but he's easily the best midfielder in his age group in England.
 
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VeevaVee

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This absolutely screams of a grass is greener, turns out to be mediocre player. I reckon loads would be after McTominay if he was elsewhere.
 

Alabaster Codify7

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This absolutely screams of a grass is greener, turns out to be mediocre player. I reckon loads would be after McTominay if he was elsewhere.
Nah, but the general sentiment of your post I agree with. Rice is only being chased by us and only because we need a CDM and he's English. Brexitfingers loves all that.
 

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Isn't he only 20 y.o.? He was pretty good against us. Better than McTom in that game.
He was great last year in the game at OT.

Not sure what has happened this year but is it possible he is simply worn out? And he looks too slow to be a good CB, in my opinion.
 

mu4c_20le

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'Shameful!' West Ham owner David Gold slams Man United great Roy Keane for Declan Rice comments

https://www.football.london/west-ham-united-fc/news/rice-manchester-united-west-ham-17280467

"Keane needs to get over it. Declan made his choice and I think that is what’s behind it as far as Keane is concerned," Gold told West Ham fan side Claret and Hugh.

"It’s pretty shameful when a former professional talks the way he did about a young man. It was low, outrageous, unfair and arrogant to pick him out of all the England players.

"It wasn’t even an analysis of the boy who is 20 years old who has barely started his career in the international team for God’s sake.

"This isn’t the first time he’s done it. In a previous game he said he should be sitting in the studio with the pundits rather than being on the pitch. Shocking! Declan has chosen to play for England and Roy Keane needs to get over that."
 

Denis' cuff

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Sections of the media bleating about Keane’s “brutal” and “unfair” remarks. Where were they when Beckham, Rio, Phizzer and Rooney etc were copping it?
 

Allas8

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Sections of the media bleating about Keane’s “brutal” and “unfair” remarks. Where were they when Beckham, Rio, Phizzer and Rooney etc were copping it?
They where actually quality players, with Rice its true.
 

ivaldo

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Nah, but the general sentiment of your post I agree with. Rice is only being chased by us and only because we need a CDM and he's English. Brexitfingers loves all that.
Is this still a thing? Ole is Norwegian and the owners are American but that doesn’t seem to count it seems. Probably why we went after Christopher Easton from Spurs and Paul Dalton of Juve last window. :D

There’s nothing wrong with having a preference for players who have grown up in a teams country. There’s so many aspects in play that makes signing a player from abroad riskier than one who knows the league, the language, the culture etc. And as England has arguably the best set of young players in the world at the moment, there’s all the more reason to.
 

Adam-Utd

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He'd look even more lost than Schneiderlin in our midfield.

For England being a DM is one of the easiest jobs possible against the regular minnows we play, and he struggles even in that. He just isn't mobile or positionally good enough yet to cover that sort of position.

He's probably better with a partner aside him, but as a CDM he isn't very good.
 
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