Leeds United midfielder Ao Tanaka has received praise from an unlikely source.
The Japan international has caught the eye of Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice this season.
Rice shared his somewhat unexpected appreciation for Tanaka during an interview with Japanese television, declaring the Leeds man an ‘unbelievable player’ and one of the Whites’ players of the season.
While some footballers, including Rice’s Arsenal teammate Ben White, famously don’t engage with the game on a wider level than their own fixtures and responsibilities, others such as the ex-West Ham United man apparently consume various leagues in their down-time.
Rice has admitted watching Leeds this season and being impressed by last summer’s £3 million arrival at Elland Road.
“The guy at Leeds, he’s an unbelievable player. Is it [Ao] Tanaka? Yeah, I’ve seen him play, he’s a top player,” the England star said. “Obviously the Championship gets shown on the TV all the time and Leeds are a massive club, so it’s good to have them back in the Premier League, but I know he’s been like their Player of the Season and when I watch him play he’s a really good player, really energetic, really good on the ball.”
Rice and Tanaka will most likely go head-to-head next season when Leeds meet Arsenal in the Premier League. The newly-promoted Whites have not beaten the Gunners in any of their last 14 attempts across all competitions, dating back to a 3-2 triumph at Highbury Stadium in May 2003.
Rice has played a central role for Arsenal this season, helping the team to second in the Premier League table and the Champions League semi-finals with nine goals and 10 assists in 51 outings.
Tanaka, meanwhile, featured 45 times for Leeds, scoring five and assisting two en route to United’s 100-point title-winning return to the top flight.
