West Ham United fans already know it but now others are starting to recognise Declan Rice as the Premier League’s best defensive midfielder.
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Rice is the first name on the West Ham teamsheet.
And he has this season taken over matchday captaincy duties from Mark Noble too.
Gareth Southgate is a huge fan of West Ham’s midfield star.
Moyes, West Ham fans, Southgate and Lampard know it
Rice has once again been called up to the England squad for the latest international break.
But he continues to face doubters in the wider football fraternity, particularly when he plays for England.
Quite why is anyone’s guess.
Rice has a superb average match rating of over 7 since breaking into the West Ham side (Whoscored.com).
He has racked up nearly 110 appearances already for West Ham at the tender age of 21 in one of the most difficult and disciplined positions on the pitch.
Cynics and social media trolls claim Rice is overhyped by West Ham fans and the media.
But some critics still Hammer Rice
But statistics continue to prove Rice is one of the best in the business across Europe.
He regularly tops the charts for tackles and interceptions across Europe’s top five leagues.
Frank Lampard is another who rates Rice as one of the top DM’s in the Premier League if Chelsea’s reported interest is anything to go by (Daily Mail).
And that is quite some compliment given Lampard already has N’Golo Kante at his disposal.
Major sports brand labels Rice ‘the best DM in the Prem’
But now West Ham fans will be delighted to see Rice being recognised for his talent on a grander scale.
That’s after major sports brand JD Sports started using Rice as a model and boasted he was the best in his position in the top flight.
“Declan Rice is the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League,” JD Sports posted on Instagram alongside a picture of Rice modelling clothes for an advert.
“He’s got to be up there.”
West Ham fans certainly won’t disagree.
With his status rising it threatens to make David Moyes’s job of keeping hold of Rice all the more difficult.
That’s why Hammers supporters are desperate for the club’s owners David Sullivan and David Gold to reward Rice with a bumper new long-term contract, just like Aston Villa have done with Jack Grealish.
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