Ahead of tonight's FA Cup meeting between Man United and West Ham, Roy Keane and Ian Wright shared their views on the Hammers' midfield engine and marquee player, Declan Rice.
Since achieving success with England - after turning down the opportunity to play for the Rep. of Ireland - Rice has constantly been linked with a big money transfer, and given West Hams' lowly position of 16th in the Premier League, a move away this summer looks likely.
Roy Keane, however, despite heaping praise on Rice in the past, feels that the 24-year-old has been poor this season, and that he needs to show more to live up to his reputation.
I don't think he's been that good. I don't think he's been great this season. He's not really kicked on, you know, for all the talk about him, a lot of good PR coming out of West ham, how much he's worth.
I think he needs to do a lot more. He doesn't get enough goals, doesn't get enough assists.
Do you disagree? That's good. I hope you disagree me. Because I think I know what I'm talking about, I played in midfield.
He needs to do a lot more. We'll see what he's like now tonight. And listen, I've been a fan of him. He turns up every week, he's always fit, but I just want a bit more from him.
There's talk of him, he's gonna be leaving for big money and going to one of the bigger clubs who will be competing for trophies obviously and playing in Champions League. He needs to do a lot more. It's just, it's as simple as that.
I want to look at him closely tonight. Listen, you gotta turn up sometimes I see him in games at West ham, and I'm not saying he's playing badly, but sometimes he's just going through the motions. Sidewards, backwards, taking the easy option.
He needs to do a lot more I think, to match some of the top midfielders in the country.
Roy Keane And Ian Wright Disagree Over Declan Rice
💬 “I don’t think he’s been that great this season. He’s not really kicked on… I think he needs to do a lot more. He doesn’t score enough goals and he doesn’t get enough assists.”
👀 Roy Keane on Declan Rice @EmiratesFACup | @WestHam pic.twitter.com/Gu7iEeBGOO— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 1, 2023
READ HERE: Roy Keane World Cup Highlights Are A Fantastic Watch
"I think it's a bit harsh," said Ian Wright in response to Keane's comments.
"I think that, you know, coming off the World Cup, he had a pretty good World Cup. The team he is playing in, yes, they're not playing great.
"I think when you look at what he's doing from that sixth position, trying to get forward, no real strikers scoring goals consistently and of course him being a focal point is gonna be, he's gonna get a lot of attention in that respect.
"But I do feel like he's ready to go to that next level because I think he is one of our best."
SEE ALSO: Roy Keane Praises Ireland's Mark Sykes For 'Brave' International Decision
