Alan Shearer makes West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice admission ahead of England v France FIFA World Cup 2022 clash
Alan Shearer believes West Ham ace Declan Rice is one of the England players France will be fearful of ahead of their World Cup quarter-final.
The Premier League record-holding striker was asked a question about the Three Lions being on the backfoot because of the likes of Kylian Mbappe and others being in red hot form.
He batted that away and admitted that while the PSG forward is sensational, England have plenty of players that can ruffle the French feathers.
He told the Athletic, “When you’re firing, when you’re playing well, you honestly don’t care as an individual. You feel invincible, as if nothing can stop you. The system and personnel you’re facing didn’t matter to me. I’m sure Mbappe feels that way.
“I’ve watched France a couple of times live at the World Cup, Griezmann is going under the radar, as is Rabiot in midfield. There are fascinating battles all over the pitch. It’s going to be a shoot-out.
“Defensively, they haven’t been tested yet. Look at who we’ve got; Saka and Rice, Foden, Bellingham and Kane. I think they will have a bit to worry about, too.”
He then went on to talk about Rice, “Big fan. I like him a lot. He can do a bit of everything in midfield, he can surge forward with the ball and give you a bit of protection, too. He’s a great, driving force and that calm head. You might not notice him having a good game, but he was one of our better players the other night.”
Put on a show
Rice has been one of England’s best players at the World Cup but has gone under the radar because of how good the other attacking players have been.
The likes of Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford have grabbed the headlines, but they’ve all managed to play freely because of Rice pulling the strings in midfield.
He’s given most of the licence to focus on their attacking duties while he can mop up and do the dirty work 50 yards away from goal.
If Gareth Southgate were to name five of his undroppable players, he certainly would pick Rice in them as he’s just that good for club and country.
That’s why West Ham are prepared to throw crazy money on Rice in the hope that he signs a new deal for them.
We cannot wait to see how he fares against the French side that are one of the favourites to win the World Cup along with the Three Lions.