West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice was selected to start for England in the Nations League semi-final.
Rice has become an integral part of West Ham’s team over the past campaign, and his rise has not gone unnoticed by Gareth Southgate.
The West Ham man was handed his second start for England in the Nations League semi-final.
However, the Hammers youngster received some criticism for not being available enough to receive the ball off England’s defenders.
The Three Lions were beaten 3-1 by Holland on what was a difficult night for them.
And Neville feels that the West Ham man still has a lot to learn before he is ready to excel at international level.
Neville said: “Declan Rice is a young player, who has shown a lot of promise at West Ham, but this is a different level altogether.
“He’s got a lot to learn in terms of becoming a top international midfield player, and a top Premier League midfield player for one of the top clubs. He’s got three or four years before he can develop into that.
“No other countries in the top nations would play a central midfielder who is so untested. He’s having to be catapulted into a situation which is some ways in unfair.”
West Ham and Rice will hope that he can learn from his difficult experience with England last week and develop.
Rice will almost certainly be a key member of Manuel Pellegrini’s side next campaign, and the hope is that he will continue to progress at his current rate.
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