Graeme Souness has again heavily criticised Arsenal midfielder Rice, arguing that he plays "too deep" and may be better suited to a defensive role.

Since joining Emirates for £105 million in 2023, Rice has become a key player for Arsenal and England, but Souness remains unconvinced that the 27-year-old possesses the qualities needed for a top central midfielder.

Last season, the Arsenal star helped his side win their first Premier League title in 22 years. Over the summer, he helped England reach the World Cup semi-finals. However, following England's heartbreaking loss to Argentina, Souness criticised him, calling his performance "limited".

After Arsenal's 2-1 victory over title rivals Chelsea at the weekend, Souness appeared on Piers Morgan's new show "Football Uncensored" on Monday and elaborated on his views about Rice.

Souness told Morgan: "How many times have you seen him with the ball in the last-man position? In the build-up phase, he's the last man. He stands between two centre-backs, or between a centre-back and a full-back. He's the last man. Very often, he's not playing in midfield at all."

"In my second or third home game as a midfielder, I dropped back into defence like all midfielders do these days. This is old-fashioned football, it's passive, it's old-school midfield play. You have the ball without any pressure and then pass it to a full-back."

Souness went on to explain that he was heavily criticised by his teammates at half-time after dropping deep and making a 10-yard sideways pass between a centre-back and a full-back. His teammates subsequently demanded he push higher and actually play in midfield.

Souness added: "He plays too deep and can't influence the game. I don't think he has the qualities of a midfielder. I'll tell you what he can do. Right now, he's England's best defensive midfielder, and he's good at reading danger. But the problem is, he always drops deep."

"So he's not a midfielder, is he? I think he could be better suited to centre-back. The ball moves faster than you. I've seen him run 30 yards with the ball and then pass it sideways. I like the way he plays, and I like the way he uses his body to control the ball—there's nothing wrong with that. But modern players are a bit mollycoddled, and criticism doesn't stick to these players easily. He's not a complete midfielder like that."

Morgan then suggested Rice is a world-class midfielder, to which Souness replied: "I'm not sure he'd get into Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, or Manchester City. If you're looking for the best players in that position, Manchester City once had two—Fernandinho and Rodri. They played in midfield. Next time, watch him closely. He'll drop back, get the ball easily without any pressure, make a 10-yard pass from Gabriel, and then pass it sideways."

Souness also again blamed Rice for England's defeat to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final in July.

He said: "When England were leading Argentina 1-0, they panicked. 'What now?' I put that down to the performance of midfielders Rice and Elliott Anderson in the centre of the pitch."

"Instead of driving the team forward, they dropped back and hugged the defensive line."

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