Riceby's Manchester United legend Keane is "slightly better" than his peers – Pierce

According to Stuart Pierce, West Ham United star Deklan Rice is "slightly better" than Fellow Manchester United legend Roy Keane.

Rice has made 140 appearances for the Hammers in the Premier League. He has been with them since the start of the 2017/18 season.

Since the start of the 2020/21 season, the Briton has taken his performance to the next level. Last season, he shined for West Ham United, who finished sixth in the Europa League.

After becoming a key player for England's Euro 2020, Rice has had a great start to the season. West Ham are currently fourth in the Premier League and the midfielder has been impressive both domestically and in Europe.

Pierce is West Ham's coach and he and Keane play together in Nottingham Forest.

According to The Evening Banner, Pierce claimed that at their age, Rice was slightly better than Keane:

Pierce said: "Rice can go as far as he wants.

"Every time he plays, I want him to be the best player on the pitch in every game.

"He has the tools to do that, he has the status to do that. He has everything. It was so much fun to work with him at this place. He dribbled the ball for us in midfield.

"I was sitting next to [West Ham manager] Billy McKinley over the weekend and he asked me: 'Can he be as good as Roy Keane at his age?' I said I thought he might be slightly better.

"Before moving to Manchester United, we had Roy in the forest and I have to say he's a little bit better than Roy. Whether he will have the career That Roy once had, it's all there.

"He has to stay healthy, keep learning and improving. We've been lucky this season, he's scored a couple of goals in the game and I always thought he was capable of doing that. He rushed through the crowd with the ball and messed things up. He's an all-round midfielder and he's probably a Brian Robson. ”