Declan Rice was recently interviewed by FourFourTwo, to which he commented on the tenuous links with himself and Manchester United.
Some West Ham fans took exception to this comment, citing it as disrespectful and pulling up his switch of allegiance to England as if he has a shady personality trait.
The comment he made was in response to a question about the rumours, to which he never said he could play Manchester United specifically, but rather he has the ability to play for a club like that. He didn’t even say this – he said: “I think.”
Who is anyone to tell him he is wrong? He is entitled to his opinion and it isn’t like his performances haven’t warranted this type of self-confidence.
He regularly puts in top performances every week in the most difficult league in the world. At 20, he is considered an England international that hasn’t put a foot wrong for his country.
Every time I watch Declan Rice under Manuel Pellegrini, you can see his progression from centre-back to holding midfielder. He has surprised me in his technical ability.
When he first came on the scene, I thought he was good at winning the ball but after that, I wasn’t sure he could offer more. To show he has multi-facets to his game at 20 indicates that he will only get better and more composed in possession.
Something that has been forgotten about is how highly he speaks about West Ham. He has said that he could see himself becoming a West Ham legend.
He has spoken about how he regards himself as much a fan of the club, as appose to his Chelsea roots. One thing’s for sure – the maturity he has shown in his playing career exists off the field too.
The inevitability is that Declan Rice will move on if West Ham don’t match his ambition. It’s a fair point for one of England’s hottest prospects. West Ham have responded with a top class manager and consecutive record signings over the past two seasons.
A West Ham team with Declan in it will only get better. Let’s not forget – the Club are realistically only a few players away from securing a European spot regularly.
So Hammers fans – chill on this one. He’s on a five-year contract. The club are providing the talented players around him to make him feel like it is worth staying in East London.
In the worst case, he leaves but he will for mega money. The era of West Ham losing their best players and their progress has gone. I am confident the Club would continue on their incline, with or without Declan.
