West Ham youngster Declan Rice has caught people’s attention with his performances this season. The 20-year-old has been one of the Hammers’ best players this season and has surprised people with the maturity he has displayed.
His ability to read the game well as well as the calmness he displays on the ball is rarely witnessed with players of his age.
Rice has also recently declared his allegiance to England, thus giving rise to calls for Gareth Southgate to include him in the full squad.
Former England striker Ian Wright has become the latest pundit to join the bandwagon as he said that Rice deserves to start for England ahead of Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier.
Eric Dier who was an ever-present in Pochettino’s line ups until last season has had a difficult campaign this time around, first being out of action due to appendicitis and then tonsillitis. This has meant that the England international has missed a considerable portion of the season.
When asked if he would put Rice in the England squad, Wright told BBC Radio 5 live, “Yes [I would put him in the England squad]. It’s a position that we struggle to fill, we haven’t really got that player who can naturally do the role as good as we are seeing Declan Rice doing it at the minute.
When Chris Sutton asked him if Rice was better than Dier, Wright responded, “Yes, especially in that position. Of course. Plus, Eric is not playing at the moment, unfortunately for him.
“Plus at the same time, we are talking about someone who is in top for at the minute, he’s nailed his colours to the mast and now he’s ready to go.”
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