Joe Cole suggested that West Ham ace Declan Rice is on his way to becoming England’s main man in central midfield, when speaking on the All To Play For podcast.
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The 21-year-old has been superb for the Hammers over the past two years or so.
And he is slowly establishing himself as a regular starter for Gareth Southgate’s England team
Rice already has 13 international caps for the Three Lions to his name. At just 21, that is quite some feat.
The West Ham ace is already David Moyes’s most important player. He has fully established himself as a key member of the Scot’s squad at the London Stadium.
Now he is starting to show how much he has to offer England.
And Joe Cole suggested that there is not another player who can offer Gareth Southgate the type of quality that Rice does, when speaking on the All To Play For podcast:
“I think Dec’s in there [England’s midfield]. What he brings I don’t think anyone else has the quality. I think Dier can play there but he doesn’t really play that holding role anymore. I think as far as holding roles go, Declan has the full package. He can break the play up, he’s competent on the ball, he’s intelligent, he’s driven, he’s a real team player that can knit it together. I think it’s Declan and one other next to him in a two. Obviously, Henderson brings experience. He is a top player. But you also have Mason. I think Southgate will play certain players for certain games.”
That really is quite the claim from Cole, considering the fact that Rice is only 21.
The former Hammer is spot on though.
West Ham fans have known for a long time just how good Rice is. And perhaps now fans of other clubs are starting to appreciate his talent as well.
The England international has all of the attributes needed to go on and become a world class player.
We should think ourselves very lucky that he plays for West Ham, that’s for sure.
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