Liam Brady believes that one Arsenal player was the main reason Mikel Arteta’s men were able to push Manchester City all the way in the Premier League title race, insisting that he had a tremendous season.

The Gunners face another challenging summer after coming even closer to ending their wait for a title under Mikel Arteta this past year. Ultimately, Arsenal were denied on the final day.

It was definitely another step in the right direction for the Gunners, who had a point to prove after seemingly losing their composure during the run-in the previous year.

Of course, for many, the key moment in their season came last summer when Arsenal broke their transfer record to sign Declan Rice from West Ham.

Liam Brady says Declan Rice was main reason Arsenal challenged Manchester City

Rice took absolutely no time to settle into his new surroundings, scoring crucial goals against the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Luton in the first-half of the campaign.

And speaking on The Stand with Eamon Dunphy, Liam Brady insisted that signing Rice was pivotal in taking Arsenal to the brink of glory.

“He’s brought a real discipline to the midfield. I think he covers the ground tremendously, he gives protection to the defence,” he said.

“Arsenal probably had the best defensive record with regards to conceding goals this year, and Rice was a very important part of that. His enthusiasm and his determination, I think, rubbed off on a lot of the other players, and I think he was probably the main reason why Arsenal ran City so close.

“He really had a tremendous season, and I think Foden got the player of the year, and probably rightly so, but Rice couldn’t have been too far behind.”

What midfielder told Gunners squad after final day disappointment

Of course, right now, Arsenal must be wondering what exactly they have to do to beat Manchester City, with City having now won four titles in a row.

Like last year, it would be easy for Arsenal to experience some kind of hangover heading into next season – and that may be where Rice plays an important role.

Rice spoke after the final day win over Everton about how he told the squad to remember this feeling and use it to fuel them next year.

They clearly have the quality to get across the line, but they need their crucial players to step up – and few are more important now than Rice.