Carragher: Rice still 'best midfield player in the country'
Jamie Carragher has declared Declan Rice the “best midfield player in the country”, even while praising Manchester City’s Elliot Anderson for his impressive start to life at the Etihad.
Carragher’s comments came during a discussion on Sky Sports comparing the two England midfielders, who started together for the Three Lions at this summer’s World Cup. Both have been at the centre of £100m plus transfers, with Rice moving to Arsenal before Anderson later completed his own big money switch to City.
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Anderson was outstanding as City beat a 10 man Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield at the weekend, a result that came despite the club operating under a dark cloud following the guilty FFP verdict. Gary Neville was full of praise for the midfielder on his Sky Sports podcast, calling his performance “absolutely outstanding”.
“There were big, big question marks about the fee and whether he could replace Rodri and become a player to play at this level because he was coming from Nottingham Forest,” Neville said. “But he’s answered all of those questions already, he’s been absolutely outstanding and looks like a real top performer.”
Neville went on to compare Anderson’s emergence to Rice’s impact at Arsenal. “When Declan Rice moved to Arsenal we knew they were getting gold, we knew they were getting a fantastic player who would do a great job for them and be a difference maker and could help them get to the title,” he said. “I don’t think we thought that Elliot Anderson was maybe in that category or on that level, but his knowledge of the game and his understanding of his position has been really impressive.”
Carragher backs Rice over Anderson
Carragher echoed much of that praise for Anderson but stopped short of placing him above Rice. “It wasn’t a lot of money that they sold him for and you’re now looking at arguably the best midfield player in the country alongside Declan Rice,” Carragher said, speaking as part of the same segment, as reported by Football365.
“I would always put Declan Rice on top of that list, certainly at the end of last season when he helped Arsenal win the title,” he added. “It should bode well for England as well going forward, they’ve got two midfielders there who are right at the top of the class in the Premier League.”
Rice has been a central figure in Arsenal’s midfield since his big money move from West Ham, and comments like Carragher’s only add to the growing recognition of his standing among England’s elite. With both he and Anderson performing at a high level domestically, the conversation around England’s midfield options looks set to continue well beyond this international break.
