'A poor man's Roy Keane' - Declan Rice torn to shreds by Wrexham man James McClean as ex-Ireland team-mate insists England & Arsenal star is 'overrated' & 'not world-class'

Rice impressed pundits and fans with his performance in England's 1-0 win over Serbia at Euro 2024, but Wrexham midfielder McClean is not buying into the praise. The Irishman said the media have hyped the Arsenal man up too much and he does not see him as a world-class player. Rice was even dubbed a "poor man's Roy Keane" by fellow countryman Kevin Doyle.

There might be some negative feelings towards Rice from McClean after the 25-year-old switched allegiances from Ireland to England. It was seen by many fans as a betrayal but perhaps McClean's standards are so high that he considers there to be very few world-class players across Europe.

Speaking as part of RTE's Euro 2024 coverage, the 35-year-old 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. For me, he’s not world-class. To me, world-class is someone who gets in every side in the world. I don’t think he does that. I don’t think he gets in the Man City side ahead of Rodri. To me Toni Kroos is world-class, He dictates the game, Rodri dictates the game, I don’t think Declan Rice does that."

Rice will continue to represent his country as they look to win their first major tournament since the 1966 World Cup. He was a standout performer in the Group C opener and will be looking to carry his momentum into the remaining games.

McClean is currently relaxing after achieving promotion from League Two with Wrexham. The ex-Premier League man will be hoping to drive Ryan Reynolds and Co towards back-to-back promotions up the Football League in 2024-25.