Bruno Guimaraes and Declan Rice are in the early stages of their Arsenal partnership, but the Brazilian had high praise for the Englishman.
Declan Rice is “a machine” who says he is learning a lot from his Arsenal team-mate
Guimaraes joined Arsenal for a reported £75m from Newcastle United in August, and has shown promising signs that he is creating a strong midfield partnership with Rice.
The Brazilian has made 14 appearances in all competitions since joining Arsenal, and has made and won more tackles than any of his team-mates (15/24).
Rice, however, tops the charts for touches (1,229), assists (five), successful passes (931/1,026), and possessions won (61).
And Guimaraes was full of high praise for the England defender, who hinted he will be signing a new Arsenal deal soon.
“Look, I think that ever since he announced I was coming here, everything was practically set,” Guimaraes told ESPN Brazil.
“He sent me a message right away saying: ‘We’ve had a lot of fights in the past, but now we’re friends – we’re going to play together. I’m really happy you’re coming here. You’re going to really raise the level of our team’.
“So, he was a guy who had already won me over even before I arrived. We know – I’d say he’s a complete player; he’s a machine on the field.
“He can run, I don’t know, 22 kilometres in a game without stopping for a second. I was really happy.
“I’m learning from him – learning a lot from him – since he’s a very technical player.
“So, I think we have one of the best midfields in Europe here. Yes – given the number of players we have – and anyway, I think Declan is a guy who’s been helping me a lot; I felt right at home.”
Arsenal sit top of the Premier League table for the international break, with their 1-0 win over Hull City before the hiatus seeing them leapfrog Manchester City to the summit.
Despite being knocked out of the EFL Cup by League Two side Fleetwood Town, Arsenal are still looking strong this season, as they also remain unbeaten at the halfway stage of the league phase in the Champions League.
“I’m happy here; I’m starting my journey here as well,” Guimaraes added.
“I think I’m increasingly understanding Arteta’s approach – which is completely different from what I was used to doing at Newcastle – and I’m adapting more and more, getting to know the new players better.
“It’s not easy to switch clubs after nearly five years, when you were already completely used to the routine, to everything. But I think this is a huge challenge, and I’m ready for it.”
