Former England international Chris Sutton has claimed that West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice is a better player than his Tottenham Hotspur counterpart Eric Dier.
The two men operate in similar positions, and are both able to play in defence as well. Rice’s recent decision to commit to the Three Lions at international level has meant that the two men could now be competing for a squad spot.
Sutton has had his say: “He’s a better player than Dier, I think now,” he told the Football Daily podcast [29:28]. “I don’t want to have the wrath of you and Lee [Dixon] and me getting overexcited about him…
“But I think he’s a better technician than Dier – absolutely.”
Sutton then reaffirmed his belief that Rice will be handed an England call up in the near future.
OPINION
This is the natural debate surrounding Rice now that he has committed to England: is he better than his central midfield competitors? He’ll be fighting against the likes of Dier, Jordan Henderson, Harry Winks and Fabian Delph for a central midfield role, while there’s people like Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard who operate further forward. When you look at the form of the more holding-style midfielders, though, only Winks can compare with Rice this season. Given his age and manager Gareth Southgate’s propensity for youth, it would be a surprise if Rice has to wait a long time for a call up. His ability to play in defence is another feather in his cap and means that he may wind up taking Dier’s spot in the squad. It’s more likely, though, that someone like Delph will drop out given his relative lack of football at Manchester City. If you’re judging on current form, as Sutton seems to be, then you would have to say that Rice is better than Dier at this moment in time.