Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice in a pre-game warm-up. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Teddy Sheringham has urged Manchester United to make an audacious and sensational bid for Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.
Rice joined Arsenal in the summer of 2023 for a club-record £100m (+£5m) — earning £240k per week according to Capology — and hasn’t looked back since.
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The 62-time England international has played 71 times for the Gunners across all competitions so far, scoring eight goals and providing 14 assists.
Rice has helped Arsenal finish second in the Premier League twice, coming agonisingly close to ending their long title drought.
Declan Rice to Man Utd?!
Declan Rice in the pre-game warmup with Arsenal
Declan Rice in the pre-game warmup with Arsenal (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Man Utd will surely be looking to make a big statement in upcoming transfer windows as they look to back new manager Ruben Amorim.
However, a move for Rice is surely off the cards. The midfielder has only increased his value since moving to the Emirates and as one of Mikel Arteta’s most important players, would command an astronomical fee.
But former United and Tottenham forward Sheringham thinks it would be a masterstroke for United, not to mention ‘funny’ to see Arsenal severely weakened.
“I said a couple of years ago, Manchester United should have got Declan Rice,” said Sheringham (via talKSPORT).
“If they went out and bought Declan Rice off of Arsenal, that’d make me laugh, because that’d obviously make Arsenal weaker and make United even stronger.
“He’s a proper player that leads by example. That’s the type of player that you need in your football club.
“When you’re making a statement about a new manager coming in and buying new players, that is the type of player you buy. Declan Rice all day.”
United have also been linked with Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres, who worked with Amorim at Sporting CP.
However, Sheringham believes the form of Rasmus Hojlund means a striker is not top of United’s priority list, urging the club to sign a left-back instead.
“I don’t think it’s imperative for United to move for Viktor Gyokeres at the moment when you’ve got Rasmus Hojlund,” Sheringham added.
“I think there’s other areas he would prefer to nail down. I think the club need a left back. Luke Shaw’s struggling with his injuries. He seems to get one after another, and you can’t pin your hopes on someone like that.
“Another really good midfield player would be great, so I think there are other players and other areas to strengthen that are more important to him than buying another centre forward. Hojlund is showing enough.”