Declan Rice lavishes praise on underappreciated Manchester City player, labeling him a “monster”.

Declan Rice, the Arsenal and England star, has heaped praise on Manchester City midfielder Rodri after their recent clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City and Arsenal played out a thrilling goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, losing ground to Liverpool in the Premier League title race.

Back-to-back draws against Liverpool and Arsenal have dented Manchester City’s chances of winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title. They currently sit third in the table, three points behind Liverpool with nine games left to play.

City’s failure to beat Arsenal in three encounters this season has had a significant impact on their title hopes. There is a possibility of further meetings between Pep Guardiola’s side and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Following defeats in the FA Community Shield and the Premier League meeting in October, Manchester City also failed to find the back of the net against Arsenal in Sunday’s match.

Declan Rice, who featured in all three games for Arsenal, was subject to a bidding war between Manchester City and Arsenal last summer. The Gunners ultimately secured his signature for £105 million, surpassing City’s £90 million offer.

Rice could have competed with Rodri at the Etihad Stadium, where Guardiola intended to deploy the Spaniard in a more attacking role following Ilkay Gundogan’s departure.

After the clash, Rice commended Rodri, describing him as “a monster” and acknowledging his impact on the Manchester City team.

Rodri is currently on an impressive unbeaten streak of over 60 matches and has not experienced a defeat with Manchester City since February 2023. He scored the winning goal in the UEFA Champions League Final last June and has amassed 10 trophies with the club since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019.