Declan Rice has earned rave reviews for his performances for Arsenal against Real Madrid in the Champions League this week – but Rio Ferdinand insists that he could have been in someone else's red shirt
Arsenal -midfielder Declan Rice would now wear a Manchester United shirt -if the Red Devils had offered him what the Gunners did. That is the image of Rio Ferdinand, who says that, all things that are the same, the English star West Ham would have dumped for Old Trafford, instead of the Emirates.
Rice was the star of the show as Arsenal Ko'd European Champs Real Madrid of the Champions League in midweek. The 26-year-old dominated the procedure in the Santiago Bernabeu when the Gunners ran 2-1 winners, who scored twice in the 3-0 first leg win.
His fight against the field with three Lions teammate Jude Bellingham was long-awaited, but Rice came in every aspect, with the kind of display that completely justified why Arsenal splashed £ 105 million to sign him in 2023.
Subsequently, both Chelsea and United also wanted his signature countries. And Ferdinand insists that if United would have matched Arsenal's offer, he would have chosen to become a member of the Red Devils.
Speaking about Rice's performance to Los Blancos, Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel: “The first tie killed it, but she [Arsenal] Were beautiful, I thought, about two legs.
“Declan Rice, I think, you know when you look at players and go where the moment was that he got up and said,” Boys, the upper table, I am with it. “I think this draw says that. Do a team of that type of team, that champion.
“And we [Manchester United] Did not sign him. I think, and I will stand with this, as a man United with a checkbook at the table and said, “We will match what Arsenal Pay,” I think Declan Rice Man United would have chosen. “
Arsenal is facing Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Sunday with Baas Mikel Arteta full of praise for his All-Action Midfield General.
“He learns more and more,” said Arteta. “I think that performances like he had had against Real Madrid in this side, actually just places the player in a different dimension and that is why we brought him here. That is why we also demand him to take more steps and to be more decisive in games because he can do it.
“We have talked about it in recent weeks and to be at this stage is not easy. He did it twice in a row.
“Now he maintains that level of consistency, faith and undoubtedly his role will be bigger and bigger.”