Jamie Carragher has claimed in his column for The Telegraph that he is reminded of Roy Keane by England’s Declan Rice.
The midfielder has been a long-time transfer target of Chelsea.
After coming through the early stages of the club’s academy alongside Mason Mount, he was let go before making the first team, a move the club surely regret.
Fast forward to now and Rice is fresh off his first appearance in the World Cup finals for England.
A lot of talk has been about what exactly the 23-year-old’s best position is, with many simply labelling him as a defensive midfielder.
Carragher disagrees with this, claiming he is reminded of the box-to-box style Keane bought to Manchester United over the years.
Carragher praises Rice
He said: “Pigeon-holing Rice as a modern ‘No 6’ is not accurate, though. He reminds me of the marauding box-to-box midfielders of the mid-90s such as Roy Keane. Keane could do everything, a perfect combination of technique and physicality, just like Graeme Souness in the 1980s. The fact he was not a regular goal scorer from midfield – he managed 39 in 366 Premier League games for Manchester United – did not diminish his influence and importance to Sir Alex Ferguson’s greatest sides. Keane would make my all-time Premier League XI.
“Rice’s ‘problem’ in convincing a club to pay over £100m for him is that modern coaches, certainly at the elite level, want their central players in those defined roles.
“They are less keen on midfielders who run here, there and everywhere as they do not want to compromise the team shape. And, naturally, they will allocate most of the transfer budget to those who play higher up the pitch.”
Rice is one of a number of midfielders the Blues are keen on signing, with them also looking to the man who featured alongside him today.
Jude Bellingham is likely to attract offers from all of Europe’s top clubs next summer, with Real Madrid and Liverpool most keen on completing a deal.
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