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Topics: Rio Ferdinand, Declan Rice, Arsenal, Manchester United, Football
Arsenal fans have slammed Rio Ferdinand's 'deluded' theory about Declan Rice following his Champions League heroics against Real Madrid.
Rice shone as Arsenal beat Real 5-1 on aggregate to book their spot in the Champions League semi-finals.
His performance at the Bernabeu prompted fans to rethink his status in world football as they made their feelings known.
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But Richard Keys saw if differently and hit out at his 'daft' mistake, claiming he got 'lucky'.
Rice, who cost a club-record £105 million in the summer of 2023, had plenty of suitors before signing for Mikel Arteta's Arsenal from West Ham United.
Manchester City had a bid rejected by West Ham for Rice as Pep Guardiola was keen on recruiting the star midfielder.
Manchester United were also thought to be in the mix and Ferdinand believes the 26-year-old would have rejected Arsenal if the Red Devils had offered the same salary.
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"Declan Rice, I think, you know when you look at players and go where was the moment he stood up and said, 'guys, the top table, I’m at it'. I think this tie says that," he said on his YouTube channel.
"Doing against a team of that magnitude, that type of team, that champion.
"And we [Manchester United] didn’t go and sign him."
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Ferdinand added: "I think, and I will stand by this, if Man United had come to the table with a chequebook and said, 'we’ll match what Arsenal pay', I think Declan Rice would have chose Man United."
Arsenal fans were quick to react to Ferdinand's bold claim about Rice as they slammed his Man United suggestion.
One X user wrote: "What a load of rubbish. Rice literally turned down City and said he wanted to play for Arsenal as Arteta had convinced him of the project."
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A second tweeted: "If Rice turned down city, why in the hell would he go to Utd."
A third added: "Don't be delusional mate."
Rice has been instrumental since joining Arsenal and has helped his side mount a Premier League title charge in the last two seasons.
The England international has yet to lead his team to a major trophy but the Gunners are going strong in this season's Champions League, with a semi-final showdown against Paris Saint-Germain on deck.