Declan Rice dismisses 'harsh' criticism from Graeme Souness

West Ham captain Declan Rice has hit back at criticism of his game and said he takes "harsh" comments made by pundits such as Graeme Souness with a pinch of salt.

The 24-year-old has come under the spotlight in recent months as the Hammers battle to stay in the Premier League while his future continues to be speculated on.

Leaders Arsenal have been heavily linked with the England midfielder, who is in line to collect his 40th cap in the Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy on Thursday night.

He has been largely praised for his performances at international level but was recently the target of criticism from Souness.

"This midfield role is a vital part of any team because in an ideal world, it's multi-dimensional - you are creative, you chip in with goals and you've got a defensive head at all times," Souness wrote in the Daily Mail last month.

"If you've got all three of those attributes, you're worth your weight in gold. For me, Rice has just one of them."

Rice, though, claimed Souness does not watch West Ham enough to have formed a worthy opinion on his apparent shortcomings.

"It's harsh, I think it's harsh because Souness doesn't watch West Ham every week," he said.

"There's loads of West Ham fans, 60,000 go every week, and see what I do. So I think to say I'm only good at one of three things is harsh.

"Souness was a top midfielder, a top player and when someone like him speaks you have to sometimes listen and take on board where you can improve if that's true.

"Of course, you have to take on board what people say otherwise you're never going to improve. I try not to read too much.

"There has always been loads of talk around my name. But for me, now I'm here, it's about these two fixtures for England and of course when I get back