Micah Richards has claimed that Manchester City have a player who is superior to Declan Rice.

Rice has had a splendid season, as he finished second in the race to win the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award.

Phil Foden won the award, with Fernandinho reacting to the news in a heartwarming post online.

Declan Rice's introduction has made Arsenal a much more formidable side defensively.

Last season, the Gunners conceded 43 goals in the Premier League.

Having played 36 league games so far this campaign, Arsenal have conceded just 28.

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It seems like Arteta has paid special attention to making his team more solid at the back this season.

But the introduction of a holding midfielder of Declan Rice's ilk has proved to be a brilliant piece of summer business from the club.

However, it seems like every time a player is named amongst the best of the best, they are pitted against a City player; especially if the comparison is made in the Premier League.

In Rice's position, the Sky Blues only have one world-class adversary and that is none other than Rodri.

During the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, Micah Richards has claimed that Rodri is a superior defensive midfielder to Declan Rice.

"[Declan] Rice is incredible. What makes him so good is he's a great character, he's a lovely person, excellent footballer. If he's stepping into the [number] eight when [Thomas] Partey's playing or Jorginho, incredible, yes."

"The argument was in a number six role, Rodri doesn't play number eight. We're talking number six."

Gary Lineker replied, "You've already sort of tilted the debate we had there."

"Yeah but Rodri's not an eight so it's not a fair comparison, is it?"

Lineker said, "No, that's fine, so Rice is kind of more flexible. He's more flexible"

Richards replied, "Well, Rodri's still got seven goals and nine assists [in the Premier League] if you want to throw that there as a defensive midfielder."

Alan Shearer said, "So, he can play that way then?"

Richards added, "No but he does it from a deeper role as well. That's what I'm saying"

Lineker claimed, "When you say a deeper role, City do tend to play the whole game in the opposition's final third."

Richards concluded, "But look at Rodri and the impact he has within a team. When he doesn't play, Man City don't look the same, they lose games. He's not lost for about 70 games for club and country, it's remarkable what he's doing!"

"Dictating it, short passes, long passes, goals, assists, he's the best defensive midfielder in the world by far, I think."

Just recently, Declan Rice admitted, just like Micah Richards that Rodri is the best number six in world football.

Declan Rice has plenty to learn from Rodri In our view, Declan Rice would go up a level as a player if he learned to dictate a game like Rodri does.

Both players in question are brilliant technicians and can contribute offensively.

But the way Rodri can dictate how City approach a game is a quality Rice could still improve.

Especially when Arsenal need to go on the attack in games, with Thomas Partey arguably being a better progressive passer than him.

The Sky Blues' number 16 ability to break the lines and keep things ticking is what separates him from the rest of the holding midfielders in the world.

A defensive midfielder's biggest asset is how they assess the tempo of a game in accordance with the flow of the game in question.

Rodri does that in a way Rice perhaps cannot yet in his career.