Jenkinson: All-action Rice can be difference for Arsenal

Carl Jenkinson believes Declan Rice can be a transformative signing for Arsenal.

The England midfielder, 24, joined from West Ham last month in a record £105million deal and started in the Community Shield victory over Manchester City.

Jenkinson, who currently plies his trade in Australia with Newcastle Jets, made 70 appearances for the Gunners after switching from Charlton in 2011.

And he is backing Rice to make a huge impact at the Emirates. In an exclusive chat with LiveScore, the 31-year-old defender said: "Rice is a fantastic football player, I just think he has everything.

"There are not many players out there who have the lot — and I feel like he really does, especially for a midfielder.

"And as my dad told me when I was a kid, football matches are won in midfield.

"If Arsenal can keep Rice and Thomas Partey fit for the majority of the season, they should be flying."

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Rolls Royce

Jenkinson enjoyed two seasons on loan at Rice's former club West Ham between 2014 and 2016, where he got a first-hand look at the midfielder's potential.

He added: "I remember once I trained with him at the old Boleyn Ground. He must have only been about 15 and no one really knew who the kid was.

"But I could see even from that age he had something about him and could really play.

"Some lads come over from the youth team and they're nowhere near the level. But that wasn't the case with Rice, so it doesn't surprise me he's made it to Arsenal.

"I also went to see West Ham play Leeds at the back end of last season and Rice was just a Rolls Royce in that match.

"I turned to my mate and asked whether he was always that good. He was just head and shoulders above the rest —  he's kicked on and fulfilled the potential I got a glimpse of."

The boss

Jenkinson shared a dressing room at Arsenal with current boss Mikel Arteta, who joined from Everton in the summer of 2011 before calling time on his playing career five years later.

And the one-cap England international admits he always had an inkling the Spaniard would become a boss. 

He said: "I always thought Arteta would go on to be a manager. The guy just had something about him and when he spoke, you listened.

"He was a very experienced player when I first met him at Arsenal and the presence he had in the dressing room was something you can't really teach or nurture.

"Tactically, Arteta knows what he's doing better than most and you can tell he's really learned over the years.

"Someone at the club also told me Arteta was the one always asking questions. He wanted to know absolutely everything from a footballing perspective, to gain as much knowledge as possible.

"But I think a bigger part of it is having that aura, which he had as a player."