He is too emotional — Paul Scholes claims Arsenal star must 'calm down' to help Gunners win title

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has offered candid advice to Gunners midfielder Declan Rice, in the wake of Arsenal's emphatic 4-1 victory over Tottenham in the North London derby.

The result ensured the Gunners finished the weekend with a five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, who kept the pressure on with a 2-1 defeat of Newcastle 24 hours earlier.

Speaking on his podcast, Scholes highlighted Rice's emotional intensity, particularly a moment where the 27-year-old geed up the crowd just before a mistake that led to Tottenham's equalizer.

"When I look at Declan Rice, he almost looks too emotional. He’s lively, he’s, “Come on! Come on! Come on!”, and then he makes his mistake," Scholes said.

"When you’re going for a league title, when you’ve got tough games, there has to be a calmness about you.

"I don’t like people being so emotional like that... But game-management in game situations, there needs to be a calmness."

Another United great, Nicky Butt, shared his thoughts on Rice's demeanour as well.

"I think he is a top leader. I get what Scholesy is saying; he [Rice] wants to win it so much, and he made that mistake yesterday. I just think they need some calmness in that team,"

Despite the error, Rice's overall performance has been pivotal in Arsenal's title push, and should the Gunners go on to lift their first Premier League title in 22 years, the former West Ham man will certainly be favourite to be named PFA Player of the Year.