Former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke believes 'overhyped' Declan Rice wouldn't be garnering nearly as much attention if he played for Ireland instead of England.
Rice infamously made three friendly appearances for Ireland in 2018 before later pledging his allegiance to England. With the Three Lions, the West Ham skipper has played key roles in England's EURO 2020 and World Cup 2022 campaigns.
The 24-year-old is in the midst of a relegation battle with West Ham struggling for form all season. Despite this, many clubs are still interested in snapping up the Englishman this Summer.
Yorke however feels much of the praise around Rice is because he is English. The former Manchester United and Aston Villa star believes that if Rice was a foreign player, he wouldn't be hyped up nearly as much.
"I get why the media are raving about him because he's English, but if he was foreign then he'd be deemed as just a good player," Yorke told Cheltenham Betting.
"You pay £100million+ for players who can split teams apart with their passing and I don't see that from Rice. I see a dogged midfielder who gets his foot stuck in but for that kind of money, you have to do more.
"If he didn't change his international allegiance to England, he'd be getting next to no recognition."
Despite so much praise, Rice has come in for recent criticism in recent weeks with Roy Keane slamming the midfielder for his performances this season.
Yorke agrees with Keane and believes Rice is not in the same league as his former teammate.
"Declan Rice isn't in Roy Keane's bracket.
"He's very good and I know that all the English fans big him up, but he doesn't influence games much. He does good things but he's not a Scholesy.
"He'll never be anywhere near as good as Roy Keane. He's a good player, who plays well for England and does well enough for West Ham."
READ NEXT:
Cheltenham Festival 2023 tips: Four horses we like the look of including a 33/1 shot
GAA legend's son dies tragically just a year after his own son's death
Sean O'Brien: Andy Farrell will be ruthless with World Cup picks as young stars can break through
Tony Mullins 'astounded' at Princess Zoe's price for Cheltenham
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
