Declan Rice should be the ideal replacement for Fernandinho 

According to the Evening Standard, former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp has insisted Pep Guardiola turn to West Ham’s Declan Rice as a long-term replacement for Fernandinho.

Even though there are no reports linking the Irishman to the Etihad, Redknapp has stated that Declan Rice has all the attributes to replace the Brazilian.

Rice has been one of the revelations of the Premier League so far, enjoying a wonderful breakout season in east London. According to an earlier report from the Sun, Chelsea were plotting a bid to bring their academy talent back to the Stamford Bridge.

The 19-year-old Irishman has been a key figure for West Ham in the midfield this season, playing as an anchor and shielding the rearguard with his massive frame. West Ham’s Premier League campaign was in tatters after losing four games on a trot and it was Declan Rice who played a massive role in their resurrection.

West Ham conceded as many as 10 goals from their first four games in the Premier League and Manuel Pellegrini played a tactical masterstroke to add solidity to the midfield by deploying Rice as a screen for the backline.

And the Irishman responded in an emphatic manner, helping the east Londoners achieve a much better defensive record. In fact, he put in some excellent shifts in central midfield against the likes of Everton, Chelsea and Manchester United to help the Hammers turn their fortunes around.

Fernandinho, on the other hand, has been one of the star performers for Manchester City. In a team packed with loads of attacking talent, veteran Fernandinho is perhaps the least-discussed and the most neglected player in City’s ranks. However, few can argue with the fact that he is a perfect fit for Pep Guardiola’s system and a key cog in City’s midfield engine.

The Brazilian has been performing at the peak of his powers even at the age of 33. He hasn’t shown any signs of tiredness and his reflexes are still the same. However, given that he is at the twilight of his career, the Citizens should be on the lookout for an ideal long-term replacement after failing to land Jorginho in the summer.

To put things into perspective, Rice definitely has all the qualities to be the successor to Fernandinho’s throne at Manchester City.

In fact, statistics reveal that the Irishman is not far behind the Brazilian in terms of performances this season. Rice has averaged 41.4 passes per game with an accuracy percentage of 85.8 while Fernandinho is slightly ahead with 69.7 passes per game with a success rate of 87.9, which is quite understandable given the quality of the teams that they play for.

Fernandinho has averaged 1.5 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game and the Rice is slightly ahead with 2.6 tackles and 1.9 interceptions. Rice has averaged 2.3 clearances to Fernandinho’s 2.4 and both of them are quite equally matched in terms of successful long balls player per game. The Irishman has also registered 2.6 long balls as compared to Fernandinho’s 2.1.

 

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Suffice to say, both the central midfielders have done exceedingly well this season. Rice is not quite the finished product yet but has already shown strong signs of excellence and that should be enough to convince Manchester City to shortlist him as a potential replacement for Fernandinho.

And the fact that Rice is yet to commit his long-term future at east London should make things easier for Manchester City.