Former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie has named who he feels is the ideal player to replace Declan Rice at London Stadium should the 21-year-old leave the club in the near future.
In an interview with Football Insider, McAvennie named Aberdeen’s Lewis Ferguson as the perfect candidate to take over the mantle if Rice left the Hammers amid reports linking the England man with a move to Chelsea.
McAvennie belives the young Scot is ready for the Premier League, saying: ”I think Lewis Ferguson will go to the Premier League, I would love to see him at West Ham because he is a fantastic player.”
The former Irons striker continued: ”I do not want Declan Rice to leave but if he was I think Ferguson would be the ideal replacement for him. There has been so much talk about Declan and if he was to go I think the boy Ferguson is ready for the Premier League.
“He is only young and he is a good, tidy player. It is an eye-opener going to England but it would only benefit him.”
Ferguson is a Scotland under-21 international and has made a sublime start to the 2020/21 Premiership campaign for Aberdeen, scoring eight times and supplying two assists in 12 matches, all from central midfield (Transfermarkt).
Unsurprisingly, he was linked with a switch to the perceived ‘big boys’ north of the border in the summer after his performances last term earned him the SFWA Young Player of the Season award.
Despite Ferguson’s goalscoring exploits outweighing those of Rice, McAvennie believes there are similarities between the two players. He said: ”I think Lewis could fill his space. It is like for like. He is a young, energetic player who keeps the ball well, can tackle and he can get forward and score goals. I do not want Declan to leave but I would not be annoyed if Lewis Ferguson took his place.”
READ WEST HAM VERDICT
Such is the leap in quality from the Scottish top flight to the Premier League that it’s hard to say whether Ferguson would be a success in England, let alone as a replacement for a player as pivotal as Rice is to the Hammers.
Whilst West Ham undoubtedly face a battle to keep their prized asset, it’s a battle they must win.
On the other hand, with a value of £1.35m on Transfermarkt and a tremendous scoring record, David Moyes may want to take a look at Ferguson for his own squad to feature alongside Rice without selling the England youngster.
