Former Arsenal defender Lauren has urged fans to be patient with new signing Declan Rice.
Rice cost around £100 million from West Ham as Mikel Arteta added a number of players to his squad after they fell short in their Premier League challenge, as Manchester City ultimately won out on their way to the treble.
The England midfielder has already impressed in the middle of the pitch for his new club, but Lauren believes that there is no need to rush to judgement over the player.
He told bettingsites.co.uk: “We don’t need to start comparing him to other players, Declan Rice is Declan Rice!
"He is intelligent, he can receive the ball deep, he allows the full-backs to get high because he doesn’t lose the ball – he is a great player. He always plays with one or two touches and he knows where everything is around him on the pitch, which is important because if you lose the ball in that position, that’s it – you get caught out and you concede. He is going to be a key player for Arsenal going forward.
“We don’t have to rush anything with him. He is playing well and we just need to keep backing him and not get ahead of ourselves.
"He is the type of player that Arsenal needed and he’s performing really well so far. We don’t need to get ahead of ourselves – we must continue to back him and in the long run it will become clear whether or not he is the best in the world in his position.
“He is showing exactly what he can do on the biggest stage and he will be looking to win the Premier League with Arsenal. He is one of Arsenal’s best players and one of the best players in his position.”