Italy midfielder Marco Verratti heaped praise on England midfielder Declan Rice amid interest from the likes of Arsenal.
The Gunners, who sit atop the Premier League table, have been linked with a summer move for the West Ham captain. Chelsea and Manchester United have also been linked with the 24-year-old at various points, with a fee upwards of £100m being suggested by those at his current club.
Rice scored England's opener in Naples as England beat Italy to make a winning start to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Even before then, though, Paris Saint-Germain star Verratti spoke highly of his direct opponent.
"I really like him as a player," Verratti told reporters ahead of Thursday's game. "He provides great balance and shape to the team, and he’s got wonderful physical attributes.
"He really helps his team out a lot. He’s a No.6, a defensive midfielder that England really need.
"I’m sure that he will end up at a top side because I’ve played against him many times, he never gives up, he’s got a wonderful attitude, and he’s still very young so he’s got a huge room for improvement."
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Getty Images)Rice's 13th-minute opener was followed by a penalty from Harry Kane which saw the England captain become his country's highest ever international scorer. Mateo Retegui pulled a goal back for Italy, but it wasn't enough.
England have a chance to continue their perfect start to their European qualifying campaign with a home game against Ukraine on Sunday. Two teams out of five will qualify for the finals in Germany, with Malta and North Macedonia also in the group.
Rice played a key part in England's run to the final of Euro 2020, while also featuring regularly under Gareth Southgate at the 2022 World Cup. He also helped West Ham reach the semi-finals of the Europa League last season, but the midfielder's comments while out in Qatar appeared to open the door to a move away from David Moyes' strugglers despite their impressive Europa Conference League run.
"Yeah - one hundred per cent I want to play in the Champions League," he said in December. "For the last two or three years I've been saying that.
"I've been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing. I see my friends here [with England at the World Cup in Qatar], who are playing Champions League and competing for big trophies.
"You only get one career and at the end of it you want to look back at what you've won and the biggest games you've played in. I really want to do that."
