Patrick Vieira has revealed that Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice is ‘one of his favourite Premier League players’.
Vieira knows just what it takes to achieve greatness in the middle of the park for the Gunners, playing over 400 games for the club between 1996 and 2005 — winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups along the way.
The 107-time France international also captained Arsenal from May 2002 until his departure and was a part of the club’s 2003/04 ‘Invincibles’ team.
Declan Rice is the man running things in the engine room for Arsenal nowadays after arriving from West Ham for a whopping £100m plus add-ons (per BBC Sport) last summer.
The England international — who helped the Three Lions reach a second consecutive European Championships final earlier this summer — has been a huge hit at the Emirates, registering seven goals and 10 assists in 52 appearances in a red and white shirt so far.
Rice also ranked in the top three among his teammates for passes completed (2,019), chances created (47), tackles (83) and interceptions (44) in the Premier League last season.
That was enough to help Arsenal finish second only to Man City in the Premier League title race, taking the battle all the way to the final day before ultimately settling for a silver medal.
Rice’s performances have certainly caught the eye of Vieira, not least for his ability to improve those around him.
“I like him because he’s a team player and I think, when you play in that position, you have to be the one who sacrifices yourself for the team,” the Arsenal legend said of Rice (via the club’s official website). “You have to win the ball and you have to give it to the players who can make the difference.
“It’s a really difficult position because you work hard for the team but you may not get a lot of credit like the guys who score those goals.”
Vieira added: “When you’re looking at the Arsenal from last year and I hope this year again, he will be an important key for the team because he will do all the dirty work to make the other ones look good and to allow them to make the difference in the last 30 yards.
“He’s one of my favourite players in the Premier League because he sacrifices himself, is working hard for the team and is a team player.”
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