Declan Rice is undoubtedly West Ham’s best player. And his performance against Liverpool last night in front of the Sky Sports cameras will surely make the rest of the Premier League appreciate his talent.
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The 21-year-old, who earns £60k-a-week according to the Daily Star, has been sensational for the Hammers over the past two years or so.
The 10-capped England international is mature beyond his years in the way that he plays. He is powerful, tenacious, energetic and his enthusiasm for the game is infectious.
Rice is adored by the West Ham fans. And rightly so. He is so important to the manner in which David Moyes’s team play.
Chelsea were heavily linked with a move for the England international throughout the entire summer (The Telegraph). It seemed for large parts of the summer that Rice would end up swapping east London for west London. But that wasn’t the case in the end.
And the Scot will have been delighted that he managed to keep the defensive midfielder at the London Stadium.
Stats
In 106 Premier League games for the Hammers, the 21-year-old has racked up 263 tackles, 15 blocks, 173 interceptions, 184 clearances and 724 ball recoveries (premierleague.com).
Yet surprisingly, fans of other clubs don’t seem to rate Rice that highly. Perhaps it’s just jealously, who knows?
But the West Ham ace’s display against Liverpool last night under the watching eyes of the world would surely have made everyone realise just how good he really is.
Rice racked up two tackles, one clearance, two interceptions, and 10 ball recoveries. The 21-year-old made 34 passes and registered an impressive completion rate of 85%. He also won two aerial battles and three individual duels (Football Critic).
The West Ham ace really was everywhere last night. His non-stop work-rate, acute sense of positioning and ability to snuff out attacks from the opposition really is so impressive for someone who doesn’t turn 22 until January.
Rice can achieve anything he wants to in the game. Let’s just hope that he ends up achieving his ambitions with the Hammers.
His performance at Anfield will undoubtedly make the likes of Chelsea even more keen to prise him away from the London Stadium next summer, however. And perhaps now, fans of every other club in the league will realise just how good Declan Rice is.
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