West Ham United and England legend Geoff Hurst believes Declan Rice could be more suited as a centre-back rather than a midfielder going forward, and he could have a very good point.
Rice came through the ranks as a gritty defensive midfielder but on his way to establishing himself as a first-team star under David Moyes in the 2017-18 season, he was regularly tried in the heart of the defence.
Hurst , who accumulated 500 West Ham appearance, has told the Daily Star that the 20-year-old’s future may lie as a centre-back though, despite impressing so many in midfield for the Hammers.
People are saying he looks possibly more likely to be groomed as a central defender who can tackle, head, he’s composed at the back. That may well be his best spot. If he progresses in that position with his attitudes so far, he’s going to be an outstanding player for this country.
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Since Manuel Pellegrini took charge in the summer of 2018 though, Rice has been an anchorman in front of the defence, occasionally dropping into the backline to make the formation a 5-1-3-1, or 3-3-3-1 if you’re being fussy.
I can genuinely see Rice succeeding as the main staple of West Ham’s defence for years to come, and it could be an easy fix for the club’s current goal-shipping woes.
However, this season would be too soon to make that transition. Rice is Pellegrini’s only true defensive midfielder of the required quality – sorry Carlos Sanchez – so it’d be daft to weaken a midfield that looks so exciting.
It’s definitely something to consider though, and you wouldn’t be surprised if he did move into that role – especially in the latter stages of his long career ahead.
