Rice was an integral part of West Ham’s midfield and made over 200 appearances for the Hammers before joining Arsenal this summer on a big-money move.
West Ham brought in a host of new faces, utilising the transfer fee they received for Rice and despite a shaky start, they have climbed up to sixth place in the Premier League table.
Gray admitted that West Ham have strength in all departments and pointed out that they have such a good group that it is impossible to think they lost a player of Rice’s calibre in the summer.
He also stressed that West Ham have coped seamlessly with the departure of the 24-year-old defensive midfielder to Arsenal and his absence has not been noticed.
“The group is that good, I think there is strength all over the place, the wide areas, the midfield areas”, Gray said on beIN SPORTS.
“They lost Declan Rice. Would you know it? No.
“They have been seamless in the transition since Declan Rice went away.”
West Ham are set to take on Rice’s Arsenal on Thursday and it remains to be seen whether David Moyes will be able to snatch three points from the league table toppers.
