Rodri surprisingly names Arsenal star as one of his favourites

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has named Premier League rival Declan Rice as one of the best players in his position in the country.

After a perfect start to their new Premier League campaign, the Gunners hit a sizeable and unexpected bump in the road against Brighton prior to the international break.

With Kai Havertz giving Mikel Arteta’s side the lead in the first half with a smart finish over the outrushing goalkeeper the tie was turned on its head just after the break.

After kicking the ball away and preventing the restart in the eyes of the referee, Rice was shown a second yellow card reducing Arsenal to 10 men with an entire half to play.

Despite arguably costing his side three points with his actions, the English midfielder has started the campaign strongly after a summer where he was regularly criticised for his performances with the English national team.

Surprisingly, the most recent praise for the Arsenal star came from Premier League rival Rodri who was asked who his favourite midfielders are.

“I like Declan Rice!”

Rodri picks his favourite midfielders 💪 pic.twitter.com/1XqVW7oiR9

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) September 13, 2024

‘If you ask me names I think I would not be fair because I will leave some ones that deserve it,’ he said in an interview with ESPN.

‘But I don’t know… let’s say, right now, Declan [Rice] I like a lot, what he does. Even though it’s not the same role I do.’

Unfortunately for Arsenal, the English star will miss their pivotal clash away against Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday afternoon.

Along with the absence of Rice, captain Martin Odegaard will also miss the clash after he picked up an ankle injury while on international duty with Norway.