Pundit and Premier League legend Alan Shearer has offered his praise for West Ham United’s Declan Rice.
Shearer was a guest on the latest episode of Match of the Day and the panel talked about multiple issues following the last games of the Premier League weekend. They talked about West Ham’s 3-0 win over Southampton in London and Shearer picked Rice for praise.
The former England striker feels that the midfielder may only be 22, but he reads the game very well at a rather tender age.
Will Rice leave in the summer?
Yes
No
Rice has been linked with a move to Manchester United in recent months and Manchester City are also said to be interested in the midfielder. On top of those two, it has been reported that Chelsea are also set to reignite their interest in him.
Shearer described Rice as an ‘excellent’ player who likes to keep things simple with his approach.
He said (55:15): “He’s still only 22 and this is what he does really well. I think he reads the game, he’s obviously got an excellent partnership with [Tomas] Soucek in the midfield.
“He keeps it simple; he stops teams attacking, can play, can pass, breaks it up and then sets his team on the front foot. I think he’s an excellent player.”
TIF Thoughts on Rice…
Only three West Ham players have grabbed a higher rating than Rice this season and they’ve done that while being regular goalscorers. Rice hasn’t been involved in goals but he’s still one of the highest performing players, leading them in interceptions and passes per game (as per Whoscored).
This is a pretty good reflection of his importance to the side and with the club having secured European football for next season, David Moyes’ men may need to keep their best players. So even if other clubs come calling, the Hammers shouldn’t look to sell the midfielder.
In other news: ‘He’ll probably want to move on’ – Journalist drops worrying claim on £60k p/w West Ham ace