He admitted that he could have chosen either of two legendary England stars
Kevin De Bruyne is brilliant, but he's not the best. Chris Sutton names his top five Premier League midfielders on It's All Kicking Off
Declan Rice has revealed which legendary Premier League star he would have loved to play alongside in an interview with Joe Cole.
Rice - who joined Arsenal for £105million from West Ham last summer - has become one of the leading defensive midfielders in the Premier League in recent seasons.
The England international has also become a prominent member of Gareth Southgate's Three Lions set up as a result of his change in status, both domestically and on the continent.
The prospect of coming up against Rice is a formidable enough prospect on his own, yet the former West Ham skipper revealed who he would have loved to play against, when posed the question by fellow ex-Hammer Cole.
Rice was quick to extol the virtues of two particular England and Premier League legends of the game, but ultimately came down on one side of a fence that has proven prime for debate over the last decade or so.
Arsenal's record signing Declan Rice was asked which player he would love to feature alongside
Arsenal's record signing Declan Rice was asked which player he would love to feature alongside
He selected a former England midfielder who is widely regarded as one of the best of all time in his position
He selected a former England midfielder who is widely regarded as one of the best of all time in his position
'I'm going to go Stevie G (Steven Gerrard)', the Arsenal midfielder admitted.
'Obviously, him and Lamps (Frank Lampard) are always compared - I could say Lamps - I adore Lamps as a player!
'But Stevie G I don't know there's just something about him, like the way he is on the pitch, he just turns into an animal, and I feel like we'd complement each other well.
He can do everything - he can run into the box, he can tackle, he can pass, he can dictate play, to play with him and see how he plays would be special.'
Gerrard and Lampard have largely split the debate over who is the greatest England midfielder of all time, with both usually ranking fairly highly in the same discourse for the Premier League.
The duo - who arguably never quite managed to perfect their partnership for their countries - are also often mentioned alongside Paul Scholes.
Between Gerrard and Lampard, the two played 71 times together, 70 of those coming for the senior England side.
The latest instalment of Mail Sport's It's All Kicking Off saw Chris Sutton outline his own top five Premier League midfielders of all time, with Gerrard perhaps controversially not even making the list.
Patrick Vieira at five,' he said. 'I mean just the way he lifted that Arsenal team, the greatest Arsenal team I've ever seen in my lifetime.
'He had everything, brilliant leadership, he was strong, he was robust. Lifted players around him, but he would be in at five.
'Frank Lampard at four, his numbers, the goals he scored. A lot of penalties. A lot of 30 yarders as well. Big goals as well, a big game player. So he'd be my number four.'
De Bruyne came in at number three, just below Roy Keane but there was no place for Steven Gerrard nor N'Golo Kante.
Sutton picked his top five Premier League midfielders on the It's All Kicking Off podcast
Sutton picked his top five Premier League midfielders on the It's All Kicking Off podcast
Paul Scholes, who won 11 league titles with United, topped Sutton's list of the league's best midfielders of all time
Paul Scholes, who won 11 league titles with United, topped Sutton's list of the league's best midfielders of all time
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'My number one would be Paul Scholes. I mean, what couldn't he do?
'And people talk about De Bruyne. I think Scholes was every bit as good as De Bruyne in terms of passing range, ability and awareness.
'He was maybe stronger in the tackle than Kevin De Bruyne. But I mean, it's so difficult to choose. But if you look at Paul Scholes' numbers, I think 11 Premier Leagues, he won.
'De Bruyne is nowhere near that at this moment in time. He [Scholes] went back to Manchester United [after initially retiring] and won things as well. He was such a phenomenal player.'
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