Declan Rice captained West Ham to a Europa Conference League win this season (Picture: Getty Images)
West Ham coach Kevin Nolan says Declan Rice is closest thing he’s seen to Steven Gerrard on a football pitch, heaping praise on the Arsenal target.
The England midfielder is expected to complete a move to the Gunners in the coming days, with the 24-year-old reportedly set to cost around £100m.
It is a huge transfer fee, but Nolan clearly thinks he deserves to be valued as one of the best players in the world, comparing him to the legendary Liverpool midfielder Gerrard.
‘Dec has given everything to the club and he’s been absolutely phenomenal – he’s been our best player for the last three seasons by a country mile,’ Nolan told talkSPORT.
‘I don’t want to lose him, I would never want to lose him because of the way he drives everything in training everyday – I would never say this lightly, but he is the closest thing I’ve seen to Steven Gerrard on a football pitch.
‘Dec’s attributes, his key attributes and I feel that there’s still loads to unravel.
‘Now I’m not saying he is Gerrard, before the Liverpool fans start having it with me, but I’m just saying with the way he can just glide past players.
‘The way one minute he’s there, the next minute he’s gone, the way he can play a defensive role, the way he can then go and move into an attacking.’
Nolan is not the first ex-player to make this observation, with former Manchester United, Tottenham and England forward Teddy Sheringham also seeing the same skills in Rice.
‘I have to liken him to Steven Gerrard,’ Sheringham told Genting Casino. ‘Not many players can eat up the ground like Declan – Gerrard used to do exactly the same, he used to overpower people in midfield.
‘Add that to his passing ability, his understanding of the game, his knowledge of the game, he’s obviously getting led by Mark Noble. His desire, you can see how he loves the game and wants to get better.
‘For me, he’s up there with the top players in the world in midfield at the moment, there’s no denying that.’
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‘He’s been our best player for the last three seasons by a country mile.’