Declan Rice has already made Arsenal point clear amid Paul Scholes criticism

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Paul Scholes might want to reconsider his criticism of Declan Rice after the Arsenal star topped a remarkable statistic that contradicts the Manchester United legend's recent comments.

Scholes recently came under-fire for excluding Rice from his top-five Premier League players list during an appearance on The Overlap's Stick to Football podcast . The 11-time English top-flight champion defended his decision, claiming he prefers a 'different type of midfielder' .

"I get slagged off for this," said Scholes. "But I did a top-five the other week, and because I don't put people like [Moises] Caicedo and Declan Rice, because I like a different type of midfielder .

"I like a Vitinha at PSG , I think he's brilliant, he's amazing. I thought [Alexis] Mac Allister last year, at Liverpool , was brilliant; now, he's not started great this year.

"But I like that more, not so much attacking midfielder, but maybe that more controlling one who can do a bit of everything, not just the defensive one who just gets around it and might score the odd goal here and there. I like the more progressive type."

Despite Scholes questioning whether Rice is a truly 'progressive' midfielder, the numbers do tell a different story entirely. Data from Squawka shows that the Arsenal midfielder sits at the top of all Premier League players for big chances created across all competitions in 2025.

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Rice leads the way with 23, with Mohamed Salah hot on his heels with 21. Other midfield maestros in the rankings include Bruno Fernandes (6th), Martin Odegaard (8th), and Dominik Szoboszlai (9th). One player who doesn't appear, however, is Sandro Tonali – the Newcastle midfielder who Scholes ranked higher.

"I think he's better than Rice," the United legend continued. "I really like Rice, don't get me wrong, I think he's got everything.

"Sometimes he takes a few too many touches of the ball and tries to look a bit more stylish than necessary. He can do everything, but I don't think he does it enough. I prefer Tonali, but they're both good players."

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The Arsenal midfielder has notched two goals and four assists in 16 matches so far this campaign. His Newcastle counterpart is yet to find the net, but has laid on three assists in 14 outings.

Rice has also appeared in all four of England's games this season, netting against Andorra and setting up two goals in the Three Lions' 5–0 thrashing of Serbia. Scholes placed Jude Bellingham , who's yet to feature for Thomas Tuchel on the international stage, ahead of the Arsenal star.

He continued: "Bellingham has to be in there just because of his goals, ain't he? Not just for his goals, he's a good player.

"I'm trying to think of a midfield player, but my mind's gone blank. I know there's Declan Rice, and people say; 'You didn't have Declan Rice in your top-five', that's because he's not my type of midfield player."

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