Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has admitted one of his teammates has surprised him after playing alongside him.
Rice joined the Gunners in a club-record £105 million switch from West Ham after captaining the Irons to a Europa Conference League triumph in his final game.
The England international has slotted in seamlessly in Arsenal's midfield, missing just a single game and playing 36 times in all competitions.
The quality of players in the dressing room has increased following Rice's switch to the Emirates.
But the 25-year-old was happy to divulge that he was not aware of just how good Gabriel Magalhaes is until he became colleagues with him.
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The Brazilian has formed one of the best centre-back partnerships in world football alongside William Saliba.
“I can’t speak highly enough of them, I’m not going to sit here and lie,” Rice said in an interview with TNT Sports.
“I think Saliba is unbelievable, obviously I heard about all the talk of him before I came here and the one who’s really surprised me is actually Gabriel.
“He’s so aggressive, so strong, really wants it all the time, never loses a duel.
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“When you’ve got two centre-backs like that who want it, play aggressive, it really helps and gives you confidence.”
Arsenal suffered a shock Champions League round of 16 defeat to Porto on Wednesday, failing to manage a single shot on target as Galeno scored a stunning 94th minute winner.
They bounced back against Newcastle on Saturday though, picking up a 4-1 win.
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A Sven Botman own goal put Mikel Arteta's men in the lead, before Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior all found the net.
Former Arsenal youngster Joe Willock bagged a consolation for the visitors.
Topics: Declan Rice, Arsenal, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba
Josh Lawless