Matthew Upson has hailed West Ham midfielder Declan Rice as a “class act” following his latest season with the club.
The 20-year-old built on his breakthrough campaign in 2017/18 by making 34 Premier League appearances last term, putting in countless solid performances and chipping in with two goals.
The midfielder’s performances were also rewarded with a first England call-up, as Rice made his first two Three Lions appearances in March.
Speaking ahead of England’s Nations League semi-final against the Netherlands on Thursday – for which Rice is part of the squad – Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live that his compatriot is impressive both on the field and off it.
“He’s a class act,” the 40-year-old said. “Forget about football, just as a person, as a human being. I had the pleasure of working with him when he was, probably, 18, we did a season together of working on various different things and he’s absolutely brilliant.
“He has the ability to learn and to take on board any kind of critique, no matter how you put it across. He’ll evaluate it, analyse it, put it into his game – or not. If he doesn’t believe or doesn’t think it’s right, he’s got the character to know what’s right and wrong.
“And he’ll just go and implement it, he’s just a fantastic character. For a young player, he’s got the maturity beyond his years, which is why he’s been able to cope with this situation and put in the performances that he has done this season.”
'Forget about football, as a human being, he is a class act'
? Matt Upson can't speak highly enough of Declan Rice.
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??: https://t.co/0kUniWPgQm #bbcfootball #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/X4DCSTcSG0— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) June 4, 2019
OPINION
Upson is exactly right here: Rice has had another great season. In the 2017/18 campaign, the 20-year-old made 26 Premier League appearances but not much was made of his impact. It is this season where his influence has really been felt. He has been fantastic in the defensive midfield role in Manuel Pellegrini’s first season in charge at West Ham, and is a key reason why the East London club finished 10th in the league table. Not only was Rice duly rewarded by Gareth Southgate with a call-up to the senior Three Lions squad, but there were suggestions earlier in the transfer window that Manchester United and Manchester City were keen on his services. And these comments from Upson prove why Rice is so highly rated. He is so keen to learn and adapt, which, at his age, is a great attribute to have. Now, it is all about making another big impact with the Three Lions squad as the team compete for silverware.