John Terry has labelled Manchester United target Declan Rice as 'the best player in the world' in his position.
Having finished as runners-up to Manchester City last season, figures responsible for deals at Old Trafford issued a triple statement of intent during the summer transfer window - signing Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, before ramping things up even further by re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo.
It marked an eye-catching return, but United were unable to complete their follow-up pursuit for a top defensive midfield player.
Manchester Evening News understands that has been identified as a priority for 12 months from now and Rice still remains target number one in that regard.
That's despite some concerns that West Ham might dig their heels in over a valuation for the England player.
As he continues to emerge as a Premier League stand-out, the former Chelsea academy prospect played a starring role when the Hammers overcame title contenders Liverpool at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
An own goal from Alisson, Pablo Fornals and Kurt Zouma secured a 3-2 win, as West Ham continue to upset the party with a view to European qualification.
They might even launch a genuine top-four charge after moving up to third with that eye-catching victory.
Among several reasons why David Moyes and his men are firing, once again, this season, Rice has been picked out for special praise by several pundits along the way.
Now, the newest high-profile (albeit controversial) addition to Twitter has shared his views.
Terry signed up for the popular social media platform over the last 48 and has already done his best to ruffle some feathers across the board - including United supporters.
Do you agree with Terry's claim? Have your say in the comments section below.
However, they might agree with what the former Chelsea captain had to say about Rice.
In a short, retweeted post from Rice himself, Terry claimed: "Declan Rice is the best in his position in world football. What a player."
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