Westham United midfielder Declan Rice names Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic and Manchester United’s Paul Pogba among his top-five Premier League midfielders

Declan Rice has included Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic and Manchester United’s Paul Pogba in his top-five Premier League midfielders.

The England international has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the league following his impressive rise at West Ham.

And the 23-year-old believes playing against some of the world’s toughest midfielders has helped his progression.

In no particular order, Rice also included Manchester City duo Bernardo Silva and Rodri and also included Brighton’s Yves Bissouma in his list.

When asked to name his top five midfielders by BT Sport, Rice said: ‘Mateo Kovavic… he is incredible. You don’t really realise how good he is until you play against him.

‘He can take the ball in tight areas, his dribbling ability is incredible, he can find a pass, he can control games, fairly quick as well. He’s always been a tough opponent to play against.

‘Next one I’m gonna go Bernardo Silva. He is so, so good. For someone that’s so small, he’s got a tenacious side to him with the way he presses and defends for his team.

‘With the ball, he’s like a magician. I speak to the England boys [who play for Man City] when we go away and they say he’s one of the best players they’ve ever played with.

“I’m going to have to go with Rodri as well, just the way he is for that Man City side, he’s a great player.

‘He’s got that Spanish side to him where he keeps the ball moving, one and two touch and constantly knows his next pass. It took him a little bit of time to adapt to the Premier League but now he’s a real, top player.’

On Pogba, Rice said: ‘He gets criticised but he’s honestly one of the top three players I’ve ever played against.

‘He’s just so strong, so good on the ball. He can take the ball under a crazy amount of pressure and get out of it with an unbelievable bit of skill.

‘He knows how to play one and two touch and can play long passes. He’s so, so good and I think you see the best of him probably when he plays for France.

‘Since he’s been in the Premier League there have been a lot of opinions about him but he is unbelievable. My second game for West Ham was at Old Trafford, we lost 4-0 and I came on with half hour to go and he ran the show.

‘I remember I went into a 50-50 with him, I hit him and I thought, ‘what have I run into?’, he was rock solid, he was so strong.

On Bissouma, Rice said: ‘Every time we’ve played against Brighton, the way they pass the ball, Graham Potter’s got them playing unbelievable football and Bissouma is a really great player.

‘When you play against him you see what he’s like. He is strong in the tackle, can bring the ball forward and finds passes.

‘He’s got a bit of flair about him as well. He’s consistent as well.’