Former Premier League defender Martin Keown was full of praise for West Ham ace Declan Rice despite defeat in the FA Cup.
The Hammers saw their domestic up run brought to an abrupt end at the hands of Southampton following a 3-1 defeat at St Mary’s.
Irons’ boss David Moyes can now at least focus on the race for the Premier League top four and their Europa League exploits.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the match, Keown was complimentary about Rice and his continued development as a midfielder.
Declan Rice has improved. He’s got really good pace and drives forward. People are comparing him to Steven Gerrard. He’s calm with his passing. He’s growing in stature.
Rice was rated 6.80 by Sofascore – below a season average 7.20 rating from 26 league outings.
So far this season the 23-year-old has scored four times and provided four assists in 34 appearances across all competitions.
READ WEST HAM VERDICT
Whilst this was another kick in the teeth for the West Ham season, their talismanic £67.5million valued man impressed yet again.
So often the one attempting to drive the side forwards, Rice has every right to feel aggrieved having been eliminated.
As for the rest of the season, a top-four finish or Europa League glory would soon allow supporters to forget about this blip. Anything less however and question may rightly be asked.
