Joe Cole heaped praise on West Ham midfielder Declan Rice and shared that he thought the player had been a revelation for the club.
The former Hammers midfielder claimed that the 20-year-old had every chance of making the role of defensive midfielder his own and that now his contract had been sorted, everyone should just let him get on with his football.
“Judging on his performances for West Ham he’s been a revelation,” said Cole in an interview with GOAL.
“So he’s got every chance of making that position his own.
“He’s made his decision, let’s put it to bed and let the kid develop as a player. That needs to be the message from everyone involved.
“His contract talks went on longer than they should have done. Now it’s settled, let the kid develop and play his football. He’s a lovely lad from a lovely family. Just let him play.”
Cole then commented on Rice’s decision to switch international allegiances from the Republic of Ireland to England and shared only time will tell if it’s the right decision.
“Time will tell if it is the right decision,” added the former Hammers midfielder.
“One thing I would say about the lad is he’s an exceptional player. And I’ve been lucky enough to spend time in his company and he’s a great lad as well.”
OPINION
Rice finally put pen to paper on a long-term contract with West Ham at the end of 2018 after months upon months of speculation. There was worries that as talks seemed to go on and on, that the talented midfielder wasn’t going to sign a new deal despite clearly loving life at the club. Yet that ended up not being the case, and Rice made his stance on his future clear by agreeing terms with the Hammers. Yet once that off-the-field saga ended, there was still the on going debate about whether Rice was going to play for England or Ireland. The 20-year-old ended up declaring for England and is likely to win his first cap for his nation after making Gareth Southgate’s latest squad (Source: The Guardian). Given that Rice has regularly wowed in his 31 outings this season, it’s no surprise that England came calling nor is it a surprise that a player who was naturally talented like Cole has shared that he has been blown away by the 20-year-old’s ability.