Paul Scholes believes Declan Rice can become ‘virtually unplayable’ for Arsenal after his performance against Liverpool on Sunday.

Rice’s surging run and inch-perfect cross set up Kai Havertz for the winner as Mikel Arteta’s side ground out a hard-fought 1-0 win at Anfield.

The Arsenal midfielder was named Player of the Match for his all-action display, with Jamie Carragher suggesting afterwards that the 27-year-old is the ‘best central midfielder in the Premier League’.

Scholes, meanwhile, believes that Rice showed a different, more instinctive side to his game on Sunday, and believes ‘nobody can live’ with the Englishman if he continues playing in that vein.

‘Declan Rice has been good, but I’ve probably been a bit critical of Declan a few times,’ he said on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast.

‘My only thing with Declan Rice, I still think he takes too many touches for a midfield player.

‘If he decides to just play one and two touch and run, he’ll be virtually unplayable, almost in a Steven Gerrard type of way.

‘I loved his goal against Bayern Munich a couple of weeks ago, that was brilliant and that’s what he should be going more of.

‘What he did on Sunday, when he powered down the line – you can’t stay with that – and you see the physique; it’s probably a bit Steven Gerrard-like. Both big, powerful, strong lads.

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‘It’s once he starts stud-rolling in the middle of the pitch and taking too many touches. He never plays one-or-two-touch.

‘One or two-touch and run and you would never stay with him, you’d never be able to live with him. He’s started to do that a little bit more; it was a brilliant run and a great pass for the goal.’

Former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt echoed Scholes’s sentiments, adding: ‘I get what Scholesy says about the touches, but I think he’s phenomenal.

‘Over the years, you look at certain midfielders who are box-to-box powerhouses: Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira, Steven Gerrard. He’s in that ilk now.

‘That kind of midfielder, he’s the best in the Premier League by a long stretch. He’s approaching his peak, he knows his game and his body inside out… he’s now at the peak of his powers.’