Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has come to the defense of Noni Madueke, after his signing was met with backlash on social media, predicting the winger will exceed expectations in the coming season.
Madueke joined Arsenal in a £52 million deal earlier this month, with several of the club fans publicly stating their discontent at the signature.
ICYMT: Arsenal complete £52 million deal for Madueke
Several fans set up a petition against his signature while the hashtag #NoToMadueke became well known on social media.
Despite these negative attitudes, Rice who plays alongside Madueke for England, revealed that the 23-year-old will show his quality and surprise the fans next season.
“I didn’t like it, if I’m speaking honestly, But I know how driven he is. I’ve spoken to him and you’re going to see what he’s about this season”, Rice opened up.
“I think he’s so driven and he’s really, really proven. He wants to prove and show everyone what he really can do and I think you’re going to see that. There’s a hunger inside his belly.
I think you see it, when he signed, he had like 10 or 11 people with him, the excitement, it’s a good thing. He’s hungry, he wants to play for Arsenal and that’s the type of players we want. It’s so positive. I think he’s going to shock a lot of people and I can’t wait for him to come. That’s what I said in my letter and I really mean it because I really like him as a person”, he continued.
The Gunners have also added Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and Cristhian Mosquera to their squad, with Sweden striker Victor Gyokeres set to join the preseason tour after completing his medicals.
“When you’re an attacking player and in your mind the first thought you have is to go past your defender, I think that’s an unbelievable trait to have,” Rice added.
“He’s going to bring that to the squad along with the other wingers we have. Let’s be real, last year we hardly had any depth in any areas. We played half the season pretty much with so many injuries, so to now be able to rotate and push in different competitions with different players is going to be really, really good. That’s key for us.”
Arsenal defeated Italian side AC Milan in their first preseason action on Wednesday, and face Newcastle United on Sunday to round up their tour of Singapore.
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