Declan Rice’s Ireland Snub Returns With Vengeance As Wrexham Star James McClean Fires Shots at ‘Overrated’ English Talent

Wrexham AFC has gradually gained its prominence in club soccer after a tremendous reformation in the last three years. Hence, keeping silent for quite some time, one of their main members in the previous season’s success James Mclean has now opened up about a former teammate. The Wrexham midfielder recently provided a harsh opinion about Declan Rice‘s quality, as the Arsenal star in pursuit of his first international title. However, whether Mclean’s words will be proven right, only time will decide.

Speaking on RTE’s Euro 2024 show, Mclean expressed his apprehension about all the praise Declan gets from the media and fans. He said, “I think Declan Rice is overrated. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a very good footballer, but the way the English media wax lyrical about him is completely over the top.” Although he did not deny the Englishman’s ability, Mclean feels he doesn’t match the hype. The Irishman played alongside Rice for some time and knows a bit about him.

Rice started his international career with Ireland in 2018 and grew up through the ranks of the nation’s youth teams. During his senior career, he shared the turf with Mclean in three friendly games. But that was more than six years ago and the 24-year-old has come a long way in international and club soccer, becoming one of the strongest defensive midfielders in the Premier League.

Yet, Rice switched allegiances from Ireland to England in 2019, attracting a lot of fury from the Irish fans which also appears to be the case with Mclean. Nevertheless, not leaving it vague, the 35-year-old also stated why he doesn’t rate his former national teammate as high as others.

After a successful season, Wrexham midfielder puts Declan Rice below other players

James Mclean had an impressive season for Wrexham helping their EFL League One promotion with 3 goals and 10 assists. While proving himself at this age, the former Sunderland player backed his opinion saying Rice isn’t as good as Rodri or Toni Kroos. he further stated, “To me Toni Kroos is world-class, He dictates the game, Rodri dictates the game, I don’t think Declan Rice does that,” claiming that he lacks the anchoring prowess of such players.

Meanwhile, Rice is considered a very important member of both Mikel Arteta and Gareth Southgate’s squads. His strength to hold the ball in the middle along with the ability to make runs at pace helped Arsenal compete for the league title last year. In addition, his performance against the physically strong Serbians was appreciated by fans. Nonetheless, Rice will aim to improve even more and match the best in business, silencing critics. But with his first aim being the Euro 2024 triumph, Can he achieve it? Let us know in the comments.