---
title: "Jamie Carragher praises  Declan Rice’s passing ability"
canonical: "https://readwestham.com/2020/12/22/jamie-carragher-praises-declan-rice-passing-ability/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Dan Clubbe"
section: "West Ham News"
published: "2020-12-22T12:00:00Z"
modified: "2020-12-22T12:00:00Z"
---

# Jamie Carragher praises Declan Rice’s passing ability

Jamie Carragher has hailed one particular attribute of West Ham midfielder [Declan Rice](https://readwestham.com/2020/12/18/west-ham-fans-worried-declan-rice-chelsea-transfer-update/) which has previously come in for criticism.

When appearing on Sky Sports’ [*Monday Night Football*](https://www.skysports.com/), the ex-Liverpool defender was complimentary towards the 21-year-old’s passing prowess, comparing it to Chelsea legend John Terry.

Rice has been a [formidable presence](https://www.sofascore.com/player/declan-rice/856714) in the heart of the Hammers midfield this season and is [yet to miss a league minute](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/declan-rice/leistungsdaten/spieler/357662) for David Moyes’ side.

The 13-cap England international is known for his combative style and [tackling ability](https://breakingthelines.com/scouting-report/how-declan-rice-has-become-west-hams-key-man/) and has been [criticised in the past](https://talksport.com/football/599915/england-kosovo-declan-rice-twitter-west-ham-performance/) over his passing. However, Carragher doesn’t feel such conjecture is justified, saying:

> There is a lot of chat that he’s not a very good passer, but he can pass. He can pass with his right and left foot. The only one who I can think of who used to do that consistently was John Terry. People who tell me at times that he can’t pass, I just don’t see it.”

The 42-year-old, who amassed [508 Premier League appearances](https://www.premierleague.com/players/915/Jamie-Carragher/stats) during his career, also hailed Rice as an ‘automatic starter’ for England whilst claiming it feels as though the midfield man has ‘already done a lot in his career’.

### READ WEST HAM VERDICT

Rice has an [88% passing accuracy](https://www.sofascore.com/player/declan-rice/856714) across the season and has made [more passes than any other West Ham player](https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/players/total_pass?se=363).

It can be easy to forget that he is still only 21. To already be an [established presence](https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2020/november/19-november/declan-rice-scoring-england-indescribable-feeling) for both club and country at his fledgling age is an astonishing achievement.

Whilst he is not yet the finished article, his [game is far more rounded](https://breakingthelines.com/player-analysis/player-analysis-declan-rice/) than some may think, as Carragher has rightly pointed out, and it appears there are very few weaknesses.