'Terrific' Declan Rice Gets In All Teams At Euros - Ally McCoist

The comments come as the Republic of Ireland’s James McClean was critical of Declan Rice, saying that his former teammate was ‘very overrated’.

McCoist did not share McClean’s opinion and he also had plenty of high praise for fellow young England star Jude Bellingham plus he weighed in on whether Cristiano Ronaldo would get into the England starting XI.

Declan Rice A Terrific Player

Declan Rice gets in most teams in the world for me, to tell you the truth. I think he's a terrific player. I really do. I think he's fantastic at what he does.

It’s interesting to watch him with England, he plays a little bit deeper than with Arsenal. He plays more forward.

I like him sitting in front, I do. I actually think England could do with him sitting in front with both Bellingham and Foden in front of him. That way you get Foden more central.

For me he's top class. He might not get in every international team, but I think he's in the vast, vast majority of them. Off the top of my head, I haven't seen a team in this tournament that he doesn't get in. I'm thinking that the German team started well and he gets in.

The only one who might not get in might be Spain because Rodri might play in that position. But the fact of the matter is you'd probably find a place for him in the Spanish team as well alongside Rodri. So for me he gets in most if not all the teams here.

Is he overrated? No, for me, no.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Usage Will Have To Be Managed

Cristiano Ronaldo is going to have to be managed by Roberto Martinez. He has to manage the ego as well.

In the last World Cup he got left out when Goncalo Ramos came in, I don’t see that happening this time but I do see him getting used more sparingly to look after himself and for the benefit of the team.

I'm not sure you're going to get 90 minutes out of him all the time in the tournament and it's something the manager and the coach will have to process.

But listen, he's had a great season, scoring his goals in Saudi as well. You can see how disappointed he was in tears after being beaten in the cup finals.

You can still see how important winning is to him, it means everything. But I actually don't see him being a 90-minute man for the vast majority of the games to be honest.

Ronaldo Wouldn’t Get Into England's Starting XI

Saying Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn’t play for England, I think it’s probably right. Five or ten years ago he walked in and it would be him and 10 others, but father time has caught up to him, as it does to everybody.

I think that's where he is at this moment in time, and I don't think he gets in the England starting 11.

Gareth Southgate Needs To Be Brave Enough To Drop Harry Kane

Stuart Pearce is 100% right when it comes to being bold enough to drop Harry Kane, I include everybody. I don't just include Harry Kane in that. It doesn't matter who you are.

It’s similar to Cristiano Ronaldo, the fact of the matter is, if it benefits the team, you think there's a substitution required, whether it's Harry Kane, Ronaldo, it doesn't matter who it is.

That's when the manager earns his corn. You've got to make a decision. Sometimes your decisions have to be brave and they might go against the grain. But if you think it's for the benefit and it's beneficial to the team moving forward, then it's a decision, it's a no-brainer.

You have to make that decision. Pearce is spot on. It doesn't matter if it's Harry Kane, if he's not playing well then it might be a better option with Ollie Watkins using his pace running through.

I don't know. But if there is a better option available, then he has to make that decision.

Jude Bellingham

Could Jude Bellingham Reach the Level of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?

I wouldn't be comparing Jude Bellingham in any way, shape or form to Lionel Messi. I think Messi's a kind of one-off.

The kind of players you would liken him to, and he's still got a bit to go, would be your Zinedine Zidane types and your Paul Gascoigne types, that type of player. He's still got a good bit to go. I love the kid, I've got to say, I think he's a brilliant talent. He's still relatively raw. He's learning.

His attitude is absolutely first class. He's got a wee bit about him. He's got a wee streak to him as well, which I don't mind at all. In fact, I quite like it.

Invariably, we always make comparisons and he isn’t Zidane yet, that's for sure. But that's the kind of mould of player I would love to see him continue to develop into. He could probably score more goals than Zidane to tell you the truth.

The rise and the continued progress has been nothing short of remarkable. The great thing about it is It couldn't happen to a nicer boy.

He's really popular and he's one of these lads that appreciates what he's got, appreciates what's got him there and he appreciates what it's going to take to get him to where he wants to be. So I for one hope he gets there.

Bellingham’s Confrontational Style A Wind-Up

I don’t mind Jude Bellingham’s confrontational style, it's a wind-up. Don't worry about that, that's a wind up. It's a show of aggression, but it's a wind-up.

He’s clever and he's not gonna get himself sent off, but I genuinely don't want to tempt fate because it could happen to him, but I don't think he's gonna get caught up like that and get sent off, but he's just letting somebody know that he's up for it.

It's a kind of cheeky show of aggression, which I don't mind at all. To be honest, I quite like it.

Could Jude Bellingham’s Brand Be as Big as David Beckham’s?

Jude Bellingham’s sponsorships and endorsements will all be monitored because they go hand in hand. You don't get the off-field stuff if you're not doing it on-field. So the most important thing is you're still performing.

Then you can enjoy some of the trappings that go with it off the pitch. He's clever enough and he's got great people around him. He's got his family around him who seem extremely grounded and focused and intelligent enough to know what's best for the lad.

As I said earlier, if he's not doing the business on the pitch, then he's not getting these boxer shorts adverts.

So the fact of the matter is the priority is, and he knows this. I'm not preaching to somebody who doesn't know. He knows you'll have to continue to do the business on the pitch and I don't have any fear that he will.

Zero Chance of Bellingham-Mbappe Clash At Madrid

There is no chance of a clash between Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid. None. Can't happen. They won't allow it to happen.

Real Madrid have got a team full of superstars, but they've had a brilliant balance of older superstars and younger superstars. You know, you have Toni Kroos, you have Luka Modric, you have Bellingham, you have Vinicius Jr. Just that whole blend.

They all know that they're nothing without each other, I think. You can tell by the way they celebrate as well, that it's a proper team.

Mbappe, as big a star as he is, will have to fit into that, I don't think that's always been the case at PSG, but he'll have to do it at Real Madrid and I think he will.

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