Report: England star told to join Spurs over Man United

Tottenham Hotspur will surely be looking to strengthen their central midfield this summer, and with the transfer window now open, there may be deals on the horizon.

Spurs still have a Mousa Dembele shaped hole in their engine room, a player who had been a consistent starter when fit for Pochettino over the last five years.

One man who could play a defensive midfield role, while also covering central defence, is young Declan Rice.

The West Ham star covers a similar array of positions as Spurs’ Eric Dier, but is in far better form, as Rice has played 34 games for the Hammers this season, and earned his first England cap.

Such success has seen Rice linked with a number of big Premier League clubs in recent months, including Spurs (Express) and Man United (Express).

Whether the Hammers would sell to rivals Tottenham is one question, and whether Spurs would be able to outbid United is another, however, Danny Mills believes Rice should choose the latter.

He said (Football Insider): “If Man United come knocking for Rice, then Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City could come as well.

“If you’ve got the choice between Man United and two clubs in the Champions League next season, where are you going to go? Not Old Trafford.

“Are you going to improve and develop as a player under Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer? Nobody knows. Are you going to improve under Mauricio Pochettino? Yes.

“Man United is not as big a pull as it used to be. There are other teams players would rather play for. Once upon a time, Man United came knocking and off you went.

“A player like Rice, I’m sure he would rather join Spurs than Man United.”

Spurs Web Opinion:

Rice reminds me of Eric Dier a few years ago, when I believe he was at his best for Tottenham. I see Declan Rice as an upgrade on Dier now, and would be happy for Spurs to purchase the former from West Ham and sell the latter to the likes of Man United.

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