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There are some good midfielders in the Premier League nowadays and Declan Rice is always among those mentioned when we discuss the very best.
Rice has been instrumental for Arsenal this season and returned in midweek after a bout of illness to deliver a fine performance and help Arsenal past Sporting Lisbon.
Of course, those in contention to be the best ahead of Rice come in the form of players like Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Bruno Fernandes and a select few others.
But for Roy Keane, at this moment in time, there’s one man who comes out on top of them all.
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Roy Keane names his best midfielder in the Premier League right now
Keane is never usually one to get involved in the who is better talk and the ranking games we see on social media a fair bit.
However, The Overlap got him to play ‘Winner Stays On’ with Premier League midfielders and it was interesting to say the least.
Keane kept West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes on for some time before eventually going with City star Bernardo Silva over him.
Interestingly, it was then the turn to choose Declan Rice or Silva, and quite surprisingly, Keane went with Silva again.
However, the most surprising aspect of the entire chat from Keane was when it came down to United midfielder Bruno Fernandes and Silva.
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Despite Fernandes being in superb form, Keane still opted for City star Silva, suggesting current form and City going for the title just edged it.
As we all now know, Silva will depart City this summer after a stellar career with Pep Guardiola’s side.
Declan Rice can learn so much from Bernardo Silva
Some will argue they are different players and in essence, that is true in terms of playing style.
But in terms of influence and how to control a midfield and effectively run a game, Silva and Rice get tasked with similar jobs by their respective managers.
Over the years, we’ve seen Silva do this with aplomb for Man City. Guardiola has deployed him deep, as a number ten, wide, or as a number eight, and wherever he plays, Silva manages to influence the game.
This is what Rice can learn from the Portuguese midfielder. Sometimes, it’s not all about being confined to that one role in the team and sticking to it.
Oftentimes, it’s about control and that’s what Silva and his City teammates have had for years in midfield areas.
If Rice can bring that control to his game and with it, bring his teammates on with him, then Arsenal could have a few years just like City have had.
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