Declan Rice has evolved into one of the world's very best midfielders over the past couple of years.He's undoubtedly West Ham United's most important player these days and will be promoted to permanent captain once Mark Noble retires at the end of the 2021/22 season.Rice is also one of the first names on Gareth Southgate's England team sheet, which is a hugely impressive feat for a 23-year-old who doesn't play for one of the Premier League's established 'top six' clubs.If you were to ask most fans of the English game who the current top five midfielders in the top-flight are, Rice would probably feature in the majority of lists.But what would the West Ham man's answer to that same question be? Well, thanks to BT Sport, we now know.The broadcaster sat down with Rice and asked him who he believes are the five best midfielders in the Premier League right now (excluding himself, obviously) and the player's selections are mighty interesting.As well as making some slightly rogue calls, the young superstar provided some fascinating insight to partner each choice.

Video: Rice picks the Premier League's 5 best midfielders

Rice's picks in order: Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea), Bernardo Silva (Man City), Rodri (Man City), Paul Pogba (Man Utd) & Yves Bissouma (Brighton).

So, the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, N'Golo Kante, Fabinho, Jorginho and Rice's best pal Mason Mount all miss out.

Fair play, Declan. It just goes to show that footballer's see the game slightly differently compared to those watching from the comfort of an armchair or in the stands.

Most fans would rank Kovacic as Chelsea's third-best midfielder behind Kante and Jorginho, but Rice doesn't think that way having played against the Croatian maestro on numerous occasions.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 05: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea during the Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on January 05, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

"He's incredible, you don't realise how good he is until you play against him," Rice said about Kovacic. "He can take the ball in tight areas, his dribbling ability is unbelievable, he can find a pass, he can control games and is fairly quick as well."

Rice's opinion of Pogba is also rather eye-opening, the West Ham ace stating that the former Juventus man is one of the three best players he's ever come up against.

"My second game for West Ham was actually at Old Trafford, we lost 4-0, I came on with hour an hour to go," Rice said after picking Pogba. "He ran the show. I went into a 50/50 with him and I was like 'What have I just ran into?'. He was rock solid. He was so strong."

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 05: Paul Pogba of Manchester United holds off Declan Rice of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United at London Stadium on December 05, 2020 in London, England. A limited number of fans are welcomed back to stadiums to watch elite football across England. This was following easing of restrictions on spectators in tiers one and two areas only. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

As for his Bissouma call, well, that's just yet more proof that the Brighton man is destined for Premier League greatness and it'll be a huge surprise if he doesn't earn a move to one of Europe's biggest clubs in the summer.

And when it comes to Silva and Rodri, we don't need to add much, do we? They're both world-class and would make probably 75% of top fives at a minimum.