Clinton Morrison boldly claimed that West Ham 20-year-old Declan Rice would be one of the best holding midfielders that England will produce over the years.
The Sky Sports pundit even confidently added that he thought that the Hammers player would have gotten well over 100 caps for Ireland if he had opted not to switch allegiances to England.
Morrison said while he didn’t want to compare Rice to Roy Keane, who won the Premier League seven times with Manchester United, he did remark how the Hammers fan favourite could have been a superstar in Ireland just like him.
“They will take to him (England fans) as I think he is one of the best holding midfielders England will produce over the years, I’ve watched him for West Ham and the way he has grown this season, he has been terrific,” said Morrison on Sky Sports News (Thursday February 14th, 17:49).
“Yes it is a massive blow for Irish football as for me personally I think he would have got over a 100 caps for Ireland and been a superstar, I’m not going to compare him to someone like Roy Keane but I think on that kind of level, the way they rated him highly over their, he could have been a superstar.”
OPINION
Morrison effectually makes not just one bold claim about Rice but two, and that shows how highly he rates him. The Sky Sports pundit may have been covering the Europa League fixture for the broadcaster on Valentine’s Day but he wasn’t going to avoid talking about Rice as everyone seems to want to share their opinion. The 20-year-old has confirmed that he is set to play for England from now on rather than the Republic of Ireland, as covered by Sky Sports, and this has caused quite the stir. Rice was capped three times by Ireland in 2018, featuring in only friendly matches, and some obviously are miffed that he has been allowed to change allegiances. It’s understandable why this has turned some heads, however hopefully it doesn’t effect Rice in a negative way. The 20-year-old has been a key part of Manuel Pellegrini’s side all season and it would be a shame if his form suffers due to the attention.