Starting to think it will be a huge mistake not to get him. In my opinion, he looks like a player who could be dominating the Premier League for a decade, similar to players like Terry, Lampard, Gerrard, Keane, Carrick etc. Not in terms of attributes or style of course. He might not be as good on the ball as we remember some of them, but he is also just 21 years old, we remember these players from their peak. Very few of the players I mentioned there had close to 10 000 minutes of senior football at this level at his age and for the attacking few their attacking output really started to look good first at the age of 25. Rice will never be an attacking player, but the way he protects the ball and his passing is getting better for each time we play West Ham. At the age of 21 he is a regular in a position where experience and football-intelligence is as important as any other attribute. Fabinho, at the same age, was a right back at Ligue 1. Matic could not get a game for Chelsea and played for a poor Eredivise-side. If you look at the best players in the world in this position, very few were as far ahead as Rice is today. I would understand the scepticism of some in here if he did not show potential on the ball, but that is not the case. He is good on the ball, and he is getting better and better.
He would add so much to our team with his stamina and pace. He is exactly what players like Pogba and Fernandes need behind them. Physically he is very special. Not just due to his size combined with pace and movement, but he is never injured! Never! That too will help his development alot.
I doubt we will sign him. We are stacked in midfield. Matic just had a new contract, and Garner is coming through. But I would sell Fred and bring in Rice if we could. He is, in my opinion, a type of talent you should get if you could. He just gets better and better. At this rate, in two or three years he will be world class. And he will be for close to ten years.
