Declan Rice has hailed Arsenal teammate Jorginho as one of the most underrated holding midfielders in Europe.
Rice joined Mikel Arteta’s side this summer, adding to their plethora of talent in the centre of the park, with Jorginho, Thomas Partey and Mohammed Elneny also in the Gunners’ ranks. Now, the England international has heaped praise on the former, who the north Londoners signed from Chelsea during the January transfer window.
Speaking about the best holding midfielders to Channel 4, Rice said: “The one who has surprised me so much, not surprise me because I knew he was such a good player anyway but playing with him every day in training and seeing how he is, because he’s not the biggest is Jorginho.
“His brain, the way it works as a holding midfielder, I’ve been trying to pick up little things off him. He’s always in position and he always knows when to pass.
“He always creates time for himself. He’s an outstanding trainer and I’ve been trying to take in little bits of his game as well.”
Rice completed a club-record £105million transfer from West Ham United during the summer transfer window, with Arsenal beating out interest from the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Manchester United. Since arriving at the Emirates Stadium, the 24-year-old has been extremely consistent for the Gunners.
The former Hammers skipper has dominated midfield battles during the opening weeks of the 2023/24 campaign and even scored his first goal for the north London club, netting a 96th-minute winner against United earlier this month.
