Gary Lineker united in agreement with Graeme Souness over Declan Rice criticism
Gary Lineker has waxed lyrical about Arsenal's newest recruit Declan Rice, but has also called on the midfielder to try and score more goals this season.
The Gunners broke the British transfer record to pry Rice away from London rivals West Ham for an eye-watering fee of £105million. The 24-year-old has already featured for Mikel Arteta's side in a number of pre-season friendlies, but is on the verge of his toughest test in an Arsenal shirt to date when they meet Manchester City at Wembley for the Community Shield.
Given the astronomical price-tag, the weight of expectation on Rice is heavy. He has been purchased with a view to anchoring the Arsenal midfield for many years to come and Lineker feels the England ace will be just fine coping with the pressure.
The Match of the Day presenter told The Sun: "He is an exceptional player — a holding midfielder but also far more than that. Rice is a real leader, who will run all day, a player who can break the lines and make things happen with the ball at his feet.
"Of course, £105million is a massive fee but he will not have the same pressure as a forward player who moves for big money because they are constantly judged on their scoring record."
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Rice's defensive prowess is undeniable and Arsenal will no doubt make full use of them, but the idea of the former Hammers' captain being deployed in a role that will see him contribute more in an attacking sense is one that has been widely discussed.
HAVE YOUR SAY!How many goals should Rice be aiming to score for Arsenal this season? Comment below
Declan Rice has been told he needs to aim to score more goals now he's moved to Arsenal (Getty Images)Lineker has touched on the topic, insisting that Rice needs to improve his numbers when it comes to finding the back of the net. "I’d like to see Rice add more goals to his game but nobody is expecting that of him," the ex-Three Lions ace added.
Well, the idea that no one is expecting that of Rice isn't entirely true, as Liverpool legend and former Sky Sports regular Graeme Souness has been particularly vocal in his stance on the midfielder adding goals to his game.
"The only criticism I had of Declan, was that he did not get enough goals, and I am still standing by that" Souness told talkSPORT. "Just because you're a defensive midfield player does not mean you can't chip in with goals.
"He has to chip in with more. Arsenal finished second last year, and he will undoubtably improve them. Can they make that jump from second to first because of Declan? Possibly, but needs to chip in with more goals."
Souness even went on to add that Rice could be right up there among Arsenal's highest scorers, stating: There is no reason he can't get double figures every year playing for that Arsenal team."
Rice netted four league goals for West Ham last season and will be out to improve that tally in the red and white of Arsenal this coming campaign.
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