The former Bulgarian international named Paris Saint-Germain's Vitinha, Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham and Manchester City's Rodri as his preferred midfielders, despite Rice's impressive performance in Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Liverpool on Sunday.

Rice played a decisive role in the encounter at Anfield, providing the assist for Kai Havertz's winning goal. His outstanding contribution earned him the Man of the Match award.

However, Berbatov believes that while the Arsenal midfielder is an excellent player, he still falls short of the standards set by the three midfielders he mentioned.

Speaking to Metro, Berbatov said, "He is good, but for me, Vitinha, Jude Bellingham and Rodri are still these types of midfield players are for me one of the best at the moment."

Despite placing Rice below the trio, Berbatov acknowledged the England international's importance to Mikel Arteta's side, describing him as a dependable leader who brings tremendous energy to the team.

He added, "I think he is very important for the Arsenal team. There are other midfielders who are top.

"He brings a lot of energy to every game, you know what you get with Declan Rice, and he is a real leader."

Berbatov also expressed concerns about the workload Rice is carrying, suggesting that Arsenal should consider giving him some time off as the demanding festive fixture schedule approaches.

The former striker believes managing the midfielder's playing time could help keep him fresh for the crucial matches ahead.

"For Arsenal, he is very important, and probably he should come off to rest a little bit because there are many games coming from now until December in this busy period," he stated.

Meanwhile, Rice was again involved in Arsenal's campaign on Wednesday when the Gunners defeated Slavia Prague in the UEFA Champions League, with the midfielder completing the entire 90 minutes.

Attention will now turn to Saturday's fixture against Hull City, where Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will have to decide whether to continue relying on Rice or give the influential midfielder a much-needed rest.