Euro 2024: Declan Rice defends midfield partner Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of England's clash with Slovenia
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Published 24/06/2024 at 15:33 GMT
Declan Rice is adamant that Trent Alexander-Arnold is capable of playing in midfield for England, calling the Liverpool man "one of the best players I've ever seen". Alexander-Arnold, who is nominally a defender, has faced criticism from fans and pundits for his performances in the England midfield. But Rice came to his team-mate's defence, saying he is "unbelievable" in midfield.
Kane suggests critical ex-player pundits could take a 'step back'
Declan Rice has launched a passionate defence of Trent Alexander-Arnold, calling his England midfield partner “one of the best players I've ever seen”.
Alexander-Arnold, who normally plays at right-back for Liverpool, has started in midfield in both of England’s games at Euro 2024 so far.
But the 25-year-old has faced criticism from fans and pundits for his performances in the unfamiliar role, while Gareth Southgate labelled his inclusion in the midfield as an “experiment”.
However, Rice was quick to defend his team-mate when asked about their midfield partnership in an interview with ITV.
“It’s funny because people were calling for Trent to play in midfield,” Rice said. “Half the country are calling for Trent to play in midfield.
“You play him in midfield and then you want to bring him down. I don’t get it. I don’t get it at all.
“I’ll defend all of my boys until the day I never put on an England shirt. Trent is one of the best players I’ve ever seen.
"Don’t call for someone to play in a position and then backtrack, all because you think he’s had a bad game or something.
“I’ll tell you now, Trent can play in midfield. I’ve seen it at England; I’ve seen it for Liverpool. He’s unbelievable. That’s what I say to people that you see saying that type of stuff.”
Despite Rice’s comments, Alexander-Arnold is reportedly set to be dropped for England’s final group match against Slovenia, according to The Athletic.
Crystal Palace midfielder Conor Gallagher, who came on for Alexander-Arnold in the games against Serbia and Denmark, is expected to start on Tuesday.
Rice hits back at Ex-England pundits
Rice was also asked if he was disappointed to see a lot of criticism against England coming from former players.
The Arsenal midfielder said it does not bother him but called for more positivity, echoing Harry Kane’s comments after former England striker Gary Lineker called the team’s performance against Denmark “s***”.
“No, I’m not disappointed because I’ve played football long enough now, I know how they work," Rice said. "That’s why I really do not get bothered about it at all.
“Look, they’re entitled to their opinion. They’re on TV, they’re saying whatever they want. I know some of them personally. They’re great guys.
“They’ve been where I’m sat, where our other players have sat and not done well at tournaments. So look, I don’t know why we feel like such a negative thing. We’re talking like we’re going out of the tournament here.
“We’re top of the group, we need to stay positive, stay upbeat. Let’s have some positivity going into games. Let’s give players the best confidence in the world. Players like Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, tell them they’re the best players in the world. Make them read that and think ‘I’m going to go out there and perform and give it absolutely everything’.”
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