'Has to massively improve': Jamie Carragher says one Arsenal player really needs to work on his shooting

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has admitted that Declan Rice still needs to work on his shooting.

Before last night’s match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace, Carragher was assessing the 24-year-old’s skillset.

It’s hard to argue that there are many weak spots in Declan Rice’s game.

The £105m midfielder was brought in by Mikel Arteta to upgrade his options in the middle of the pitch.

Although the price tag is excessive, he’s already starting to prove that he was worth it.

Carragher was blown away by Rice’s performance last night but has questioned his shooting ability.

Rice has never been the most prolific in front of goal although his ball-striking technique is impressive.

The midfielder is almost cursed by being able to play several roles across the pitch so well that he’s not always needed in attack.

Arsenal fans will be taking to the 24-year-old already as his three competitive appearances for the club have been brilliant so far.

Even when the Gunners were down to ten men yesterday, he was still giving Arsenal a level of control.

Carragher says Rice needs to work on his shooting

Speaking about Arsenal’s number 41, Carragher said: “I think the one big criticism that everyone will have of Declan Rice, which I think has been a little bit unfair in his career up until now, would be how many goals he scored.

“When you talk about a player costing £105 million, you are thinking that I want everything.

“When we’re talking about getting into positions to score, that [his finishing] has to massively improve.

“So, yes, it’s been a legitimate criticism before but now he’s playing for a better team I think his numbers have to go higher.”

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta won’t mind if Rice isn’t shooting as much as Carragher would like if he puts in performances like last night.He’s still new to the system that Arteta is implementing and despite being a phenomenal player, will still be getting used to his new teammates.

Rice has stepped into the role that was previously occupied by Granit Xhaka, who had the best scoring season of his career last year.

It feels like it’s only a matter of time until he gets his first Arsenal goal.