Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has come to the defence of Declan Rice amid criticism towards the England midfielder.
Rice was told he is ‘limited’ and would be better suited to centre-back by Graeme Souness following the Three Lions’ World Cup exit.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were beaten 2-1 by Argentina in their semi-final on Wednesday night to extend their 60-year wait for a major tournament triumph.
Of their seven matches so far this summer, Rice has started all but one alongside Elliot Anderson in midfield.
However, Souness took aim at England’s midfield pairing after the loss to Argentina.
Former Three Lions coach Hasselbaink has now dismissed the Scotland legends claims, though.
The 54-year-old served as a member of Gareth Southgate’s backroom team at Euro 2024, with Rice part of the side which reached the final.
Hasselbaink responds
Appearing on White & Jordan, Souness’ comments were put to Hasselbaink live on talkSPORT.
In response, he explained: “I don’t think that he’s limited. I don’t agree with Graeme. I’ve seen him from close, I’ve seen him in training, I’ve seen him in games.
“I think he can be even more dominant by believing more in himself. I think he can also score more goals. I think he can shoot more at goal.
“Those kinds of things can be added, but have to be put in his mind.”
When asked where he thinks Souness is going with his argument, he added: “You have to ask Graeme, but I do think that he’s top. I do think in this market now, he is a £100million plus player.
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“I don’t think that he’s a Rodri, but I also don’t think that he was 100 per cent fit, especially not in the last two matches, because he gives a lot more.
“But then it comes back to, is he still better than the others who are on the bench? And I would say yes.
“So I think he’s a hell of a player. Hell of a player. And I think Arsenal became champions because he was in the team.”
Arsenal signed Rice from West Ham United for a club-record £105million in 2023.
He was a key part of the Gunners side which won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years last season.
Hasselbaink continued: “(The) majority of midfielders, they go sideways and you cannot go forward 90 per cent of the time. Impossible because you have to keep the ball.
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“If you look at Rodri and you analyse Rodri, he goes sideways the majority of the time and here and there he goes forward to the striker when the space is there.
“And that’s the same with Declan. And believe you me, I’m a striker, I want him to play forward. Believe you me, I want that because I want that ball. Majority of the time, you can’t. Impossible.”
‘Football has changed’
Souness’ status as a midfielder during his own career was also put to Hasselbaink.
The former Liverpool captain won five league titles with the Reds as well as three European Cups.
However, Hasselbaink admitted: “With all due respect, that was a long time ago. It has (changed that much) because the spaces are totally different.
“The terminology hasn’t but the spaces are totally different. The turnovers, even when I was playing, were a lot more than it is now.
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“Don’t get me wrong, I really respect Graeme and he was a top, top, top player, but you can’t play all the time forward. Impossible, you cannot do it.
“So the majority of the time you sideways and you wait for the right moment. What he has to look at, how many balls does he (Rice) lose? That’s what we have to talk about.
“How many turnovers does he have? How many critical balls does he get?”
What did Souness say?
Hasselbaink’s response comes after Souness had criticised the pairing of Rice and Anderson in midfield for England at the World Cup.
The tournament marked Anderson’s first at senior level, having made his Three Lions debut in September.
Meanwhile, Rice featured prominently in defence for West Ham early in his career before establishing himself as a midfielder.
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Speaking on World Cup Uncensored, Souness explained: “One is very young, 22, so has a chance of getting better. Declan won’t get any better, he’s as good as he’ll get at 27.
“I don’t see enough football in them, I see them as players who recycle the ball. I don’t see them hurting people.
“If you want the polar opposite, the night before we saw arguably the best in the world, Rodri. They go a goal up and he’s still getting them on the front foot. He’s a proper midfield player.
“Rice, for me, is limited. You hear people talk about Rice as a world class footballer. I think he might be a centre-half.
“There is nothing to dislike about his attitude to the game and his athleticism. There is nothing to dislike about his commitment from the first minute to the last.
“My criticism is he doesn’t have enough football in him. You talk about ‘look how he runs with the ball.’ As a centre midfield player that’s what you shouldn’t do.
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“The reason people run with the ball is because they don’t see the picture quickly enough.
“My take on being a central midfielder is if you’re a striker or a wide player, they want me to have the minimum touches.
“I’ve got this vision in my head of people saying ‘he carries the ball well’ but you don’t want to carry the ball.
“I’ve got Rice running with the ball 20 yards, he is confronted by an opposition player, the handbrake goes on, and he passes it square.”
