Kolo Toure has claimed that West Ham United midfielder, Declan Rice, is ‘unbelievable’, as he told Sky Sports Football (29/03/22 at 7:25 pm).
The former centre-back, who is a coach at Leicester City, added that Rice is a ‘really, really good player’.
Whilst some England players had a hangover from Euro 2020, Rice wasn’t in that category when the first ball was kicked for the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.
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At the European Championships, Rice was one of England’s best players, as the 23-year-old showcased maturity and experience beyond his years.
Since then, the hard-hitting midfielder has taken his game to another level for a West Ham team vying to win the Europa League.
This is what Toure had to say about Rice and the qualities the Englishman has in his game.
“He’s a really, really good player,” said Toure. “In my opinion, I see him more as a holding midfielder really because defensively he is unbelievable.
“I think sometimes when you have a midfielder like him, when they leave the space to go up, they need someone to cover and he does that well for West Ham.
“But he really needs to be careful of being a master of one position. Your holding midfielders, stay, control, make the ball move, be in space and be ready to counter-press when you don’t have the ball.”
Without Rice in the middle of the park, many would question if West Ham would have made the progress they have under David Moyes.
There is no doubt that he is the most important cog in their wheel and a big reason why the Hammers are in Europe and still chasing those top-six spots.
For the second season running, it seems as though Champions League football may well allude them.
But, if they can win the Europa League, then they will gain an automatic passage into the biggest domestic competition in the world, which would be some going for the East London club.
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