The West Ham United youngster has been excellent this season.
West Ham ace Aaron Cresswell sat down for an exclusive interview with the club’s official website, and raved about the quality of Declan Rice, suggesting that he has known for a long time that he has what it takes to be a truly elite player.
The 20-year-old has been in superb form this season for the Hammers, and he has really risen to prominence on the world stage, earning two international caps for England in the process.
Rice has firmly established himself in the West Ham starting line-up, and it could be argued that he is now Manuel Pellegrini’s first name on the team-sheet.
Cresswell offered high words of praise for his West Ham teammate, when speaking to the club’s official website, sharing the moment when he knew he would be a real star:
“We’ve had a few standout performers but I think Declan has been our top player. We were talking about this recently. I’ve been training with him since he was 15 or 16 and he first came across to the first team and then he came away with us in pre-season and played against Rubin Kazan and you could see the way he conducted himself and his ability and reading of the game meant he was always going to go to the top of the game.”
Rice recently signed a new contract with West Ham – one that runs until the summer of 2024, and Hammers fans will be praying that he remains at the London Stadium until at least then.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
