"I'm not surprised by Rice's brilliance," says Pellegrini

On Wednesday, the Betis coach stated that nothing about Declan Rice, his former player at West Ham, surprises him, especially after the 24-year-old scored a brace from free kicks in Arsenal's 3-0 Champions League win over Madrid.

Pellegrini expressed sympathy for the Madrid side, one of his former clubs, but was pleased for the midfielder. "I'm not surprised by anything from Declan, as he was one of the players we gave his debut to in the first team at West Ham United and played with us," said the Chilean in a press conference on Wednesday.

Pellegrini managed West Ham between May 2018 and December 2019. Asked about Rice's brace against Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, the coach said he wasn't "surprised" as "he hits the ball very well."

He recalled that during his time at West Ham, they were aware of "plans to loan him out," but his coaching staff made it clear that he had "to play for West Ham."

"He was sold for £110 million and has shown his quality at Arsenal," added the Betis manager, who praised Rice as "a very skilled player, a very serious professional, and a great person to work with."