England manager Gareth Southgate is set to check on Declan Rice as the battle between England and Ireland for his international services intensifies, reports ESPN.
Southgate is expected to be in attendance for the Hammers’ trip to Wolves this evening and will look to speak to Rice personally as part of his visit.
Twitter: RT @swearimnotpaul: Gareth Southgate is set to contact Declan Rice today to discuss his international future, according to ESPN (@trevage)
The 20-year old has appeared for the Republic of Ireland at U16, U17, U19 and U21 level as well as receiving three caps for the senior side, although none of which were competitive.
However, given that England is the country of the holding midfielder’s birth, Southgate is looking at every opportunity to convince him to play for them.
Rice is still able to change allegiances as a result of ruling himself out of Ireland’s squads since the start of the season. This eliminates the problem of being tied down to the Republic by playing in the UEFA Nations League.
The struggle has been on a bigger stage since the qualities of the young man became evident, capped with a brilliant display and a first senior goal in West Ham’s 1-0 win over Arsenal this month.
Ireland manager Mick McCarthy has stated that Rice has the potential to be their captain for years to come, coupled with the fact that he is likely to receive more game time.
However, the former Ipswich boss is taking a more relaxed approach by giving Rice time and space to make this crucial decision.
With England in the finals of the Nations League and on the back of a World Cup semi-final, this could be an opportunity too good to turn down.
