West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini has made the astonishing claim that young Irons star Declan Rice is the best youngster he has worked with in his managerial career, according to a report from reliable Hammers insider ExWHUemployee.
The reputable source of information on the Irons, who has a proven reputation when it comes to news inside the London Stadium, claims on his personal Twitter account that the Chilean boss believes the 19-year-old enforcer, who has become a mainstay for the first team this season, is better than any other prospect at his former clubs, including during his time at Manchester City and Real Madrid.
Yes Pellegrini says he is the best youngster he has ever worked with and this includes Man City and Real Madrid https://t.co/BXaodVS3Ef
— ExWHUEmployee (@ExWHUEmployee) December 28, 2018
After being used primarily as a centre back last season, his move into the middle of the park has earned him numerous plaudits for his performances.
Opinion
This is one of the biggest compliments that young Rice may ever receive in his career. The number of top prospects that Pellegrini has worked with in his career is likely to stretch into the hundreds and so picking out Rice as the very best of the lot shows just how important he is to the Irons’ future. However, to quote a famous superhero franchise, with great power comes great responsibility and Rice now has plenty of expectation to live up to. He is certainly turning heads at the London Stadium this season and the move into the middle looks an inspired decision from Pellegrini, who must be heralded for his role in developing the youngster over the latter half of 2018. The new year is going to be a seriously exciting one for Rice and the Hammers – here is hoping that he can go from strength to strength and hit the heady heights that seem to be expected of him.