25 March 2023 , 10:58
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Graeme Souness has doubled down on his criticism of Declan Rice despite the England midfielder popping up with a goal against Italy on Thursday.
Former Liverpool midfielder Souness suggested Rice does not have all the qualities required to be an elite midfielder. The West Ham captain has been linked with a summer move away from the London Stadium, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all linked at various points over the last season and a half.
Rice hit back at Souness' comments ahead of the Italy game, and let his football do the talking when he delivered the opener in a 2-1 victory in Naples. However, the pundit maintains some of the same issues he previously identified are still at play.
“I think it’s harsh because Souness doesn’t watch West Ham every week," Rice argued. "There’s loads of West Ham fans, 60,000 go every week, and see what I do. So I think to say I’m only good at one of three is harsh.
“Roy [Keane] … has said some glowing things about me in the past and sometimes said some things that I can improve on as well. It’s one of those where you take it with a pinch of salt and try not to let it affect you that much.”
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While Souness might not have watched West Ham on a weekly basis, he did tune in for England's game in Italy. And, despite the Hammers star opening the scoring, the former Scotland international stuck to his guns.
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Declan Rice's goal against Italy was his first for England in more than 18 months (PA)Reiterating his point about Rice's attacking output, Souness maintained he believes the midfielder needs to do more going forward. "He thinks that my criticism is 'harsh' and that I don't see him play every week. That's true. But I have seen him enough, for West Ham and for England," the 69-year-old added in a column for The Mail.
"I watched the game against Italy and the same things were on show. Any world-class midfield player is on the half turn most of the time and looking to play forwards. How many times did Rice do that in Naples? Not nearly enough for me. Get some videos of Kroos and Modric playing in their midfield roles for Real Madrid. Or go back a few years and watch Paul Scholes.
"As we saw against Italy, he has mastered the defensive side of the job. But I just think he has to strive to be better and never be content with his lot. That's what great players do."
Rice's goal at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona was his third for England, while he has just 12 in more than 200 West Ham appearances. Two of those 12 came this season, against Southampton in October and Nottingham Forest in February, and Souness challenged the former Chelsea youngster to push himself further.
"I think he should ask himself one question as he moves his career forwards — 'How do I become a truly world-class player?'," Souness continued. "The bottom line is that at 24 years of age he must constantly challenge himself to get better."