Rice was speaking to Joe Cole via Channel 4 during the international break with England.
Cole asked Rice who he considers to be the top players in the world in his position right now and Rice hardly hesitated with his answer.
Rice was complimentary for Pep Guardiola and City throughout the interview but saved special praise for Rodri.
Rice said: “Obviously the main one in the Premier League is Rodri, he’s incredible.
“What a player he is, the way he works, the way he keeps that Man City team ticking, you know he’s a top player.”
High praise indeed from one elite central midfielder to another.
And these comments might be particularly interesting to Arsenal fans given Rice was said to have the option to join City this summer.
Although, according to reports, Rice preferred a move to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, he turned down the chance to partner Rodri.
And given how his Arsenal career has begun, he surely has no regrets.
Arsenal’s Rice says Rodri is the best midfielder in the world right now
During the interview Rice also reserved special praise for his new teammate Jorginho.
He said the Italian had surprised him most since arriving at the club.
Rice praised Jorginho’s positioning and his intelligence and confessed that he’s trying to learn from the 31-year-old.
And this must be music to the ears for Mikel Arteta.
Despite already being one of the world’s best it would seem that Rice’s feet are still firmly on the ground.
The midfielder is still willing to learn from players he’s already bypassed in the pecking order.
And that makes sense when you consider that Rice must have the ambition to be even better than the likes of Rodri during his time with Arsenal.
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