Rice has been a regular under Manuel Pellegrini since the Chilean took over at West Ham.
Alan Curbishley has told LoveSport Radio that he believes West Ham United star Declan Rice is the Hammers player of the season so far, and reckons he is the first name on the team sheet.
The 19-year-old has started and finished West Ham’s last 13 Premier League games, making the holding midfield role his own at the London Stadium after the injury to summer signing Carlos Sanchez.
Rice is yet to put pen to paper on a new contract at West Ham, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the season. Indeed, offers have been reportedly made to Rice, but no deal is yet to be agreed.
Former West Ham United manager Curbishley believes he has been the pick of the Hammers players so far this season, over the likes of Mark Noble, Felipe Anderson and Lukasz Fabianski.
“For me, the player that has really been the player of the season so far is Declan Rice,” Curbishley said. “A holding midfield player, a young lad, I think he’s probably the first on the team sheet at the moment.
“He’s having such a good time of it, he’s athletic, he breaks up the play, he can play himself, he’s two footed. He’s the one the West Ham fans are looking at, and he’s one of your own.”
Rice has been crucial to West Ham’s turn around in form, starring in the club’s last four Premier League games in which Pellegrini’s me have picked up maximum points against Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Cardiff City and Fulham.
He is expected to continue his run in the side on Saturday as the Hammers play host to Watford at the London Stadium, with the Hammers in with a chance of climbing to sixth place if Everton, Wolves and Man United drop points.
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