11 September 2023 , 19:52
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Declan Rice has spoken glowingly of Arsenal team-mate Jorginho and insisted he is aiming to learn from the Italy international.
While it is widely acknowledged that Rice is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, Jorginho tends to divide opinion among fans and pundits alike. The 31-year-old has been plying his trade in the English top flight for some time now after four-and-a-half years at Chelsea before swapping West London to join the Gunners in January.
Despite winning the Champions League during his time as a Blue, many are not convinced by the Italian and weren't throughout his time as a Chelsea player. Take Rio Ferdinand for one, in 2019, after Chelsea were defeated 2-0 by Arsenal of all clubs, the Manchester United legend issued a scathing assessment of Jorginho and called into question what he actually brings to a team.
"How many assists has he got this season? 2000 passes, no assists," Ferdinand told BT Sport. "He's not a great defender, once the game gets like this against big teams he gets overrun in midfield. He can't run, so he doesn't give you anything defensively and he doesn't give you anything at the other end of the pitch."
Four years on, few would have guessed that one of the most promising and expensive midfielders in British history would wax lyrical about Jorginho. But Rice told ex-England star Joe Cole on Channel 4 : "The one that surprised me so much, well not surprise me as I knew he was such a good player anyway, but playing with him everyday in training and seeing how he is because he's not the biggest is Jorginho.
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"He is like, his brain, the way it works as a holding midfielder - I have just been trying to pick up little things off of him because he is always in position, he always knows when to pass, always creates time for himself - he is an outstanding trainer and I've been trying to take bits from his game as well.
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Declan Rice has been taking tips from team-mate JorginhoJorginho was actually briefly linked with an Arsenal exit this summer, with a number of clubs across the continent believed to be keen on enticing him away from the Emirates. However, he is clearly still seen as a valuable asset by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.
Ferdinand's brutal review was some time ago, but it is not as if it came at a time when Jorginho was an inexperienced pro still learning his trade - he had been around the block and played in huge games.
It is that same experience that Arsenal's new midfield maestro is directly benefiting from now.