Rice to Man Utd: Would he suit the Red Devils & could a deal happen?

Manchester United will come up close and personal with Declan Rice on two occasions over the next week, with the Red Devils facing West Ham United in the Premier League and then League Cup.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was asked about his midfield options during Thursday’s pre-match press conference and the Norwegian is believed to be targeting a new man in the centre of the park.

And what better option than the West Ham juggernaut, who is reportedly a target for the Red Devils?

So we’ve taken a look at how Rice compares with United’s current midfield maestros and whether he’d be a good fit for Solskjaer’s side.

What’s been reported?

The Manchester Evening News claim Rice is the club’s top midfield target ahead of next summer and also reported he will demand a buy-out clause in any new contract he signs with the Hammers.

ESPN also believe a midfielder and striker are the priority for Solskjaer in the summer of 2022, with Rice top of the pile. The Independent reported similar a few weeks ago and claimed the United boss sees a top-quality midfielder as the final piece of the puzzle.

However, according to The Sun, local rivals Manchester City will challenge United for Rice’s signature.

What would Rice bring to United?

Having looked over the numbers for the Hammers No.41, Rice’s standout stats in the 2020/21 Premier League season were his interceptions - in fact, only one player registered more in the entire top flight.

His numbers also stack up impressively when it comes to passes completed, aerial duals won, tackles in the defensive third and shots blocked.

Rice also performs surprisingly well in ball carrying stats, far better than his fellow defensive midfielders.

How does Rice shape up against United’s current midfielders?

We’ve compared the England international’s numbers per 90 minutes from the league last season against Scott McTominay, Fred and Nemanja Matic, the three United players who play in a similar role as Rice.

Surprisingly, the West Ham man is outperformed by the trio in terms of passes completed and percentage of passes completed, with Rice finishing bottom of the quartet in several stats, although it is worth highlighting that United enjoy much more of the ball than the Hammers.

The difference in styles between the two clubs was also indicated in the number of pressures applied, which again Rice finished bottom due to United’s high-energy pressing and West Ham’s more defensive approach.

However, where Rice’s stats do stand up are in his interceptions (2.13 p90), tackles in the defensive third (1.41 p90) and tackles completed (43.6%), with the 22-year-old finishing top of all three mini tables. Rice also had the highest successful dribbling stats (89.2) of the quartet.

Finally, one telling stat that jumped out was the number of extra goals West Ham scored with Rice on the pitch as opposed to when he’s absent - it increased by +0.91 per game and the closest to that figure was Fred’s +0.27.

Would a deal make sense?

The numbers didn’t really give a great indication due to the varying styles of play between the two clubs, and Rice would be asked to carry out a very different role for United than the one he does alongside Tomas Soucek at present.

Yet, we already know Rice is capable of playing in a system similar to the one Solskjaer uses, given his appearances for England over the summer.

Those performances, coupled with the displays he gave for the Hammers last season, indicate what a fantastic player the midfielder is and with United’s deficiencies in the centre of the park he would make a great addition to the Red Devils’ roster.

The summer signings have hugely improved United this season, but they still lack a holding midfielder who can break up opposition attacks and quickly distribute the ball, something Rice absolutely excels in.

At 22, there’s also plenty of time for him to continue his development and look to push his passing figures up towards those of Fred and McTominay.

The view from the other camp

We asked LondonWorld writer Rahman Osman to give his view on the possible transfer:

“I feel strongly that Rice can be the final piece of the jigsaw for Solskjaer. Matic’s legs are not as fresh as they used to be and Fred and McTominay have both not convinced entirely.

“Manchester United are hunting down the glory days with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo  and Rice is desperate for some trophies too at this point of his career. The club’s ambition matches that of the player.

“Aged 22, his ambition, energy and promise are what the club needs at this stage to wrestle back the glory from their ‘noisy neighbours’. Another factor that makes the West Ham midfielder an ideal signing is that he would come in with huge Premier League experience, unlike other promising midfielders on the continent.

“Despite all he’s achieved, he is still young and can develop to his full potential playing alongside world-class midfielders like Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes.

All stats courtesy of FBref.