Wayne Rooney had plenty of praise for Arsenal’s latest signing Declan Rice ahead of the MLS All-Star friendly on Wednesday night.
Arsenal are set to take on the MLS All-Stars on Wednesday night (or the early hours of Thursday morning back in the UK), with Wayne Rooney taking charge of the MLS side.
Although it’s still very early days for Declan Rice, who only signed for Arsenal over the weekend, the friendly match may provide an opportunity for his unofficial debut.
Speaking to the media ahead of the match, Rooney assessed the transfer from an Arsenal point of view.
“I think he’s a huge signing for Arsenal,” Rooney said. “He’s a fantastic player with a great mentality. Young.
“Arsenal have got a player at the top of his game and I think he’ll bring a great character in the dressing room.
“He could be captain of Arsenal. He’s a player who Arsenal needed and they’ve certainly got a top player.”
Rice made 50 appearances for West Ham and 11 appearances for England over the last 12 months, proving a vital member of both teams. So it’s certainly no surprise to hear former England international Rooney singing his praises.
If the 24-year-old doesn’t make an appearance against the All-Stars, he’ll still have plenty of other opportunities to play for Arsenal before the season gets underway in earnest.
The Gunners face Manchester United and Barcelona in friendlies in the USA over the next week, before returning to England to play against AS Monaco in the Emirates Cup and Manchester City in the Community Shield.
Arsenal’s Pre-Season Fixtures and Results
- Saturday, July 8th – Arsenal 1-1 Watford (Behind closed doors)
- Thursday, July 13th – FC Nurnberg 1-1 Arsenal
- Thursday, July 20th, 01:30 – MLS All-Stars vs Arsenal
- Saturday, July 22nd, 22:00 – Arsenal vs Manchester United
- Thursday, July 27th, 03:30 – Arsenal vs Barcelona
- Wednesday, August 2nd, 18:00 – Arsenal vs Monaco
- Sunday, August 6th, 16:00 – Arsenal vs Manchester City
Times in BST