‘Complete midfielder’ Declan Rice is Arsenal’s next leader and will end 22-year wait for title, says Patrick Vieira
PATRICK VIEIRA has hailed Declan Rice as Arsenal’s next great leader.
And the legendary Invincibles captain is backing England star Rice to help end the 22-year wait for a Prem crown.
Three-time champion Vieira says Rice has all the attributes shared by him and Tony Adams – and MORE.
Vieira said: “I’m a big fan of Rice. He’s a complete midfielder. When I look at him, I see he has that kind of mobility.
“He can go forward. He can win the ball, he’s really powerful and one of the best at the moment.”
Club captain Martin Odegaard faces a six-week absence due to injury.
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And Frenchman Vieira, 49, said: “When I was at Arsenal you had Tony Adams, who was the heart of Arsenal.
“He was really vocal, really impressive.
“I was different. I was more reserved.
“So there is a different type and profile of leadership from the heart.
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“This style is different from Declan’s.
“But at the same time, it’s so technical, so elegant.
“He shows the same leadership but in his own way.”
Genoa boss Vieira believes Mikel Arteta’s side now have the same mental determination that kept Arsene Wenger’s men unbeaten in the 2003-04 season.
Speaking to SunSport as he helped unveil the shortlist for Europe’s Golden Boy Award, the 1998 World Cup winner added: “It always has to be the club – because it’s part of Arsenal.
“I don’t think it’s just one player, like me, Tony or anyone else. It’s part of the DNA of Arsenal football club.
“When I look at this team, honestly, no one can say that Arsenal have lost the passion of the heart. I saw the passion of Mikel Arteta on the bench, there is this desire to compete and to win.
“Since Mikel has been here, the club has taken a step forward.
“Now they are really competitive. They have been for the last few years, but they are on track to win the league and compete with anyone.
“The difference this time is recruitment in the summer.
“Over the last two years, we could see that they were missing one or two, three players, it was quite difficult for them.
“They had to beat Manchester City and then Liverpool, when losing points was so expensive.
“But if they are missing one or two, they can introduce new ones and still remain competitive. That’s the difference.”
Vieira is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
His clashes with Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and especially Roy Keane have become legendary, a series of epic confrontations that helped define the Prem for a decade.
Vieira smiled as he remembered: “With Gerrard, with Lampard, with Paul Scholes, with Keane, our generation was not limited to midfielders.
“We all wanted to carry the ball, beat people, create and score goals.
“I arrived at Arsenal when I was 20.
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“There were tackles that earned me red cards. Otherwise, I lost the ball and we conceded a goal.
“But Arsène’s strength is to have seen that for a month and to continue to give me this confidence which helped me to make a career.”