Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has criticised Chelsea captain Reece James following the Blues’ 1-0 Premier League defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.
Rooney said James “struggled all game” against Arsenal, adding that he was constantly focused on Declan Rice throughout the encounter.
According to him, man-marking Rice proved too big a task for James.
Mikel Merino’s first-half header secured all three points for the Gunners against Enzo Maresca’s side.
Speaking about James on Match of the Day 2, Rooney said:
“I just felt that Reece James had a job to do today, and he was man-marking Declan Rice—which, coming back from injury, is very difficult to do.
“I felt he struggled all game. He’s trying to play the role the manager has given him, but I think he found it tough.
“If we have a look at it here [screenshot below], you can see Reece James staying close to Declan Rice.
“But as play progresses, Reece James is always thinking about Declan Rice—there’s no other thought in his head.
“Thomas Partey moves into the space [screenshot below] and receives the ball unchallenged, which was a recurring theme throughout the game. Nothing comes of this particular instance, but once again, Reece James is simply following Declan Rice everywhere.”