"I can’t think off the top of my head" - Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher makes bold claims about England's EURO 2024 star Declan Rice
Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher has named Euro 2024 star and England teammate Declan Rice as one of the top five midfielders in the world. Rice has gone to the Euros after a good first season with Arsenal and has so far played every minute of the Three Lions' campaign at the European Championship.
Gallagher was recently asked to rate Rice and the Chelsea star told talkSPORT that Rice is among the top five midfielders in the world. Speaking about his England teammate, Gallagher said (via Metro):
"I would say around the top five. I can't think off the top of my head now but he's definitely up there and the exciting thing is he is only getting better. He's just only moved to a team like Arsenal and he's still improved massively from when he wast West Ham."
Gallagher added:
"I think he's pretty much a world class midfielder, he's been fantastic for Arsenal so far and I'm sure he's going to keep improving."
Declan Rice has been integral to Gareth Southgate's team during the European Championship. He has operated as a deep-lying midfielder during the tournament in Germany and has often dictated his side's play.
Chelsea star Conor Gallagher speaks about his lack of game time
Chelsea star Conor Gallagher came on as a substitute during the games against Serbia and Denmark. He started the game against Slovenia but was substituted off at halftime.
He also came on as a late substitute in the Round-of-16 win against Slovakia. Gallagher has now spoken about his game time, saying (via Metro):
"Obviously it's not nice. You want to play as much as possible and you get an opportunity to start a game for England at a major tournament is incredible. I was really excited. But it was a really difficult game."
Gallagher added that Gareth Southgate informed him of the decision to drop him for the Slovakia game beforehand, hence, he was fine with the call. England, meanwhile, are set to play Switzerland in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 on Saturday, July 6.