West Ham ace Declan Rice sat down for an exclusive interview with the club’s official website, and named two Tottenham men as potential obstacles to his place in the England team.
The 20-year-old Hammers ace has established himself as one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League over the the past 15 months or so.
And he has been rewarded with six caps for England. Despite receiving criticism from some sections of the media, Rice has mostly impressed for the Three Lions.
He is far from guaranteed a spot in the starting XI for the Euros, however.
And the West Ham man named Tottenham stars Eric Dier and Harry Winks, as well as Everton’s Fabian Delph, when discussing competition for places in the England ranks, as quoted via WHUFC.com:
“I don’t feel like a regular yet. I’ve started five of the six games I’ve played in, but the main thing is that we’ve got good competition in the squad and other players who can play in my position in Harry Winks, Fabian Delph and Eric Dier. Everyone is going to be looking to the summer and will want to be starting as one of those eleven players so I need to keep my head down and keep working.”
Rice’s comments show that he has a certain kind of maturity that defies his tender years.
If he continues to work hard and retain his focus, there is no reason why he won’t be starting at the Euros next summer.
Winks is a top class player, but Dier’s form has fallen off a cliff over the past few years.
Meanwhile, Delph, who joined Everton for £10m in the summer (BBC), is not even in the West Ham man’s league when they are both playing at their best.
Competition for places is a great thing for England, however. And the West Ham, Tottenham and Everton stars will all be keen to make a point to Gareth Southgate over the course of the next few months.
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