OPINION
Sir Trevor Brooking indirectly fired a warning at West Ham sensation Declan Rice over why he shouldn’t be considering exiting the club anytime soon.
The Hammers legend when on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club responded to Chris Sutton’s suggestion that the 20-year-old midfield enforcer could soon be on the move to one of the teams challenging at the top end of the Premier League.
Brooking shared that he completely disagreed with that opinion and proceeded to point out that Rice was improving as a player due to constantly playing and that he wouldn’t get as much game time at one of the top four or five clubs.
“I don’t think he has to leave West Ham at all to be honest because I know all the money that is going around but what is making him at the moment is playing every week, every game and playing well and he is getting better,” said Brooking on BBC Radio 5 Live (20:11, Monday March 4th).
“And he wouldn’t do that at one of the top four or five clubs.”
Many West Hams fans will be praying that Rice heeds the indirect warning of the club legend as they will not want the 20-year-old to go anywhere.
Luckily for them after signing a new long-term deal with the Hammers at the end of 2018, Rice has looked the exact opposite of a player seeking a move.
The 20-year-old appears to be loving life at the London Stadium and seems to be relishing in the fact he is becoming one of the standout performers for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
However for some reason every time a West Ham player wows on a regular basis there seems to be an implication that they need to move on to further their career.
Yet after impressing in his 30 outings this year in his new role in midfield, it’s way too soon for Rice’s future to be in jeopardy regardless of whether he is capturing the eye of any team challenging for the Premier League title.
This is especially the case when you consider that Pellegrini is clearly trying to build a Hammers side capable of qualifying for Europe in the near future and when you take into account that West Ham have splashed the cash to help see the club grow.
While Rice is very unlikely to be considering an exit, he will continue to be linked with a move to a so-called big club as long as he keeps performing, and Hammers fans as a result will be hoping he sees what Brooking sees.