Rice joined the Gunners from West Ham United for a club-record £105 million last summer and he had a fantastic debut season for the club.
The England international was brilliant from the defensive midfield position at the start of the campaign before moving centrally after the turn of the year.
He ended the season with 17 goal contributions. He also completed 91 percent of his passes with an average of 2.2 tackles and four duels won per appearance.
Rice averaged five recoveries per outing. The midfielder was appreciated by the fans and came second behind Martin Odegaard for the Player of the Season award.
Speaking in today’s presser for England, Mainoo said that Rice has been worth every penny and he is such a good player, having proved himself in the Premier League and internationally.
He added that it is a dream playing alongside Rice for the Three Lions as he has the freedom to press forward due to the defensive presence of the Gunners ace.
He said: “Everyone knows he’s worth every penny. He’s such a good player. He’s proved it in the Premier League and internationally. [Playing with him] frees me up a lot and allows me to go forward and attack and trust that he’s there. It’s a dream.”
Rice was partnered by Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 1-0 win over Serbia. Alexander-Arnold was far from impressive in midfield and was prone to losing possession regularly.
The Liverpool ace was replaced by Conor Gallagher shortly after the hour mark. In our opinion, Mainoo should be paired alongside Rice for the meeting against Denmark.
0 Comments