Gary Neville thinks Declan Rice “has” to join a UCL club – but who?

Football pundit Gary Neville has said he believes Declan Rice needs to join a Champions League club in the next phase of his career.

Over the course of the last few years, we’ve seen Declan Rice rise to the forefront of English football both for club and country with his performance for West Ham against Everton further solidifying the idea that he’s one of the best midfielders in Europe. From his ability to control the game to how he protects the defence and also drives forward, the sky is the limit for this 22-year-old.

There have been plenty of rumours regarding his future and where he’s going to end up next and according to Gary Neville, Rice should be looking elsewhere if he wants to progress even further.

“He’ll have to transfer to a club that’s playing in the Champions League. You look at Liverpool and Fabinho. At Manchester United Fred and Matic. Jorginho, how long will he be there at Chelsea? Fernandinho at City. There are some jobs coming up.”

Where should Declan Rice go?

The conversation regarding Declan Rice’s future isn’t going to slow down anytime soon and as such, it makes sense to have a look at some of the destinations he could end up at if he does depart from the Hammers in favour of Champions League football.

As per Oddschecker, the smart money seems to be on Chelsea or Manchester United acquiring his services which would make sense in the UCL department. The Blues have a great core structure throughout their team but having someone like Rice to bounce off of Kante and Jorginho could give them the best midfield in the entire sport – and that’s no exaggeration.

Manchester United, meanwhile, have Pogba, McTominay and Fred at the heart of their team with McTominay being the only one that most United fans are happy to see on a week to week basis. Declan Rice is nothing if not consistent and his composure would be perfect for a team that always appears to be scared of its own shadow.

If the debate shifts to what could be available overseas, Juventus and Bayern Munich strike us as ideal candidates to go after Rice.

The erratic nature of Juve’s side is evident for anyone to see and the tempo of Serie A should allow Rice to run riot against 90% of teams in the league. As for Bayern, they’re already a European juggernaut and the West Ham star would only reaffirm their dominance and provide them with a midfield maestro who oozes confidence whenever he’s on the ball.

So whether it’s here or abroad, we’re pretty sure Declan Rice isn’t going to be short of options.

Featured image credit: Getty

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