Declan Rice hits back at pundits who criticised England players after Denmark draw

Declan Rice has strongly responded to the criticism he and his England teammates have received during Euro 2024.

England began their quest for Euro 2024 glory last weekend when they narrowly beat Serbia 1-0 thanks to a goal by Jude Bellingham.

On Thursday, Gareth Southgate’s men were criticised after Denmark held them to a 1-1 draw in Frankfurt.

The likes of Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Rice have been on the end of criticism from former players.

Speaking to the media ahead of England’s crucial match against Slovenia, Rice has hit back at the critics.

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ITV’s Gabriel Clarke asked: “Are you disappointed that a lot of the criticism has been coming from former players who’ve been at tournaments and maybe been through the same thing?”

Rice replied: “No, I’m not disappointed because I’ve played football long enough now, I know how they work. That’s why I really do not get bothered about it at all.

“Look, they’re entitled to their opinion. They’re on TV, they’re saying whatever they want. I know some of them personally. They’re great guys.”

“But, like I said, they’ve been in our shoes as well and sometimes just to have that thought of process, you know, just before they speak.”

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He continued: “They’ve been where I’m sat, where our other players have sat and not done well at tournaments. So look, I don’t why we feel like such a negative thing. We’re talking like we’re going out of the tournament here.

“We’re top of the group, we need to stay positive, stay upbeat. Let’s have some positivity going into games. Let’s give players the best confidence in the world. Players like Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, tell them they’re the best players in the world. Make them read that and think ‘I’m going to go out there and perform and give it absolutely everything.’

“Rather than reading the negative comments sitting on their mind and then thinking that they can’t play a certain way. That’s the way I think about it. And I’m sure we have enough of them people as well which is good.”

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