Graeme Souness SLAMS Declan Rice for strange reason — even suggests he play in different position

Declan Rice told he's more of a cenre-back by Graeme Souness / Collage: Tribuna.com Declan Rice told he's more of a cenre-back by Graeme Souness / Collage: Tribuna.com Graeme Souness has reignited his war of words with Declan Rice after launching another extraordinary criticism of the Arsenal midfielder. The Liverpool legend has questioned whether Rice is even playing in his best position, insisting the England star spends too much time operating like an extra defender. Souness made the comments during an appearance on Piers Morgan's Football Uncensored, doubling down on his criticism of Rice despite the Arsenal star playing a key role in the club's Premier League title success last season. The former Scotland international believes Rice's tendency to drop deep during Arsenal's build-up prevents him from having enough influence in midfield. 'How many times do you see him as the last man with the ball?' Souness said. 'In the build-up, he's last man. He's sitting between two centre-halves or between the centre-half and the full-back. He's last man. A lot of the time, he doesn't play in midfield.' Souness then took aim at the modern approach to midfielders dropping between defenders, branding it 'old man's football' and even calling it 'cheating'. He continued: 'He plays too deep to affect the game. I don't think he's got enough football.' Despite the criticism, Souness did acknowledge one of Rice's biggest strengths. 'He's the best defensive midfielder in the country right now, he smells danger,' he said. But the pundit then delivered his most eye-catching verdict, suggesting Rice could actually be better suited to playing at centre-back. 'He's not a midfield player then is he? I think he may be a centre-half.' Souness also questioned whether Rice would get into some of Europe's biggest clubs, naming Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. 'I'm not sure if he gets in Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Man City,' he said. His comments come despite Rice having established himself as a key figure for both Arsenal and England. The 27-year-old has also been widely praised for his performances since joining the Gunners from West Ham in a deal worth up to £105 million. Souness, however, remains unconvinced. 'He isn't the complete midfield player,' he concluded. Rice will have little time to respond on the pitch, with Arsenal preparing for their Champions League clash against Napoli.