Dimitar Berbatov has said that Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice is not the best in the world in his position, insisting he still has work to do before he can be ranked among the elite.
Rice has impressed for the Premier League champions this season, producing a man-of-the-match display in the 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield and helping the side to a 2-1 victory at Slavia Prague in the Champions League. His form earned him 15th place in the Ballon d'Or rankings, prompting suggestions that he is now one of the finest central midfielders in the game.
Berbatov's preferred midfield trio
Speaking to beIN Sports, Berbatov said: 'He is good, but for me Vitinha, Jude Bellingham and Rodri still these type of midfield players are for me one of the best at the moment.'
The former striker acknowledged Rice's importance to Arsenal, however, and questioned Mikel Arteta's decision not to rest his stand-in captain in a match against moderate opposition.
Rice's value to Arsenal
Berbatov added: 'I think he is very important for the Arsenal team. There are other midfielders who are top. For Arsenal he is very important and probably he should come off to rest a little bit because there are many games coming from now until December in this busy period.'
He continued: 'He brings a lot of energy to every game, you know what you get with Declan Rice and he is a real leader. He wins the ball back for the second goal, getting stuck in and he's that type of player who will do that. I like the fact he's always committed.'
