‘He’s head and shoulders above’… Darren Bent says Arsenal have a 24-year-old player who’s a class above

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Declan Rice has been fantastic since joining Arsenal in the summer, further cementing himself as one of the very best midfielders in England.

Gareth Southgate has struggled to settle on his best England XI in recent months, but one player who seems to be locked into his plans is Rice.

The former West Ham man has been a mainstay in Southgate’s England side for some time now, and according to Darren Bent, speaking on TalkSPORT, he has to be one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Rice a class above

Bent stated that Rice is an obvious pick to go in the England midfield.

“That’s an obvious one isn’t it? I get that because when it comes to holding midfielders in this country he’s head and shoulders above everybody. If he got injured Declan Rice, and that’s one thing about him, he’s durable, but what would you do? Kalvin Phillips and Henderson? It’s a difficult one,” Bent said.

Has to start

Rice is a player that can often divide opinion among football fans, but most are now in agreement that he has to start for England.

In terms of holding midfield options, Rice may be the best that the Three Lions have to offer, and as Bent says, he’s a class above the likes of Kalvin Phillips at this point.

There really isn’t much competition in that area of the pitch, but, luckily, England can call upon Rice.

Now, if Rice were to pick up an injury heading into a major tournament, alarm bells would have to start ringing in Gareth Southgate’s head, but, as Bent says, he’s an incredibly durable player with a stellar injury record on top of his consistent performances, so it’s hard to imagine that’s something the Three Lions will have to worry about by the time the Euros roll around.