CHELSEA transfer target Declan Rice admits midfielder N’Golo Kante is his role model but he also wants to emulate the ability of Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.
West Ham midfielder Rice has been strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge and the England talent has been studying Kante in a bid to develop his game.
Declan Rice wants to model his game on Arsenal legend Patrick Viera
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is a big admirer of Rice and has earmarked him as a long-term signing.
But the 21-year-old has admitted he watches footage of Kante in a bid to develop his own game.
Rice told The Times: “The main one I’ve always watched is Kante in my position. Sometimes in games, I get sucked out of position a little bit, attracted to the ball.
“I’m so enthusiastic to get the ball back for the team, I’m probably just better off saving my legs sometimes. I do more running than I should, put it that way.
“I’m so enthusiastic just to go and win the ball back where pretty much everything would come through me anyway if I stood right in the middle. That’s what Sergio Busquets and Kante do.”
As a holding midfielder, Rice clearly looks up to the likes of the Chelsea player.
But he also aspires to attack in the mould of Arsenal legend Vieira and hopes to add this to his game.
Rice said: “I’ve also tried this season to run forward with the ball when there’s a bit of space.
“The king of that was [Patrick] Vieira, and Yaya Toure. I’ve seen many, many clips of them doing that.
“The reason I like doing it is because it catches the eye and you don’t really get a lot of central defensive midfielders now that carry the ball forward so I want to keep doing that.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
