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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Robert Hynes

'Declan Rice is not a Roy Keane': Fans disagree with Stuart Pearce's comments on West Ham midfielder

A number of football fans do not agree with Stuart Pearce's recent comments about Declan Rice.

The West Ham coach suggested that Rice could become an ever better player than Keane was.

"At his age, 22, I've played alongside Roy Keane," he told talkSPORT.

"You try to compare Roy Keane to him and you think 'well did Roy Keane have that dynamic sort of pace he's got, the strength of him' comparison, he would be up there there's no doubt about that.

"It's where he can go that's the exciting thing for me.

"He's 22 years old at the moment, you see him pick the ball up, someone comes shut him down and he drives past them as though they're not there, these are Premier League players that he drives past them.

"You see him go shut people down and that five yard explosion it's as though the players don't get set he moves that quickly over the ground. He's 6 ft 2", he's box-to-box, he can finish - I think there's more goals to come during his career.

"He's an absolute pleasure, he's so humble as a young man that is his biggest forte for me, never mind what he does on the pitch."

But a number of fans disagreed.

One said: "Not a hope."

Another commented: "He wouldn't lace Keane's boots."

Someone else tweeted: "Declan Rice is a decent player but not a Roy Keane or Patrick Viera!"

But other supporters feel the comparison isn't over the top.

One posted: "Declan Rice just gets better game by game, reminds me so much of how Roy Keane used to play body on the line all time, never stops grafting for his team."

Another said: "Declan Rice is the best box to box midfielder since Roy Keane."

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