Tottenham Hotspur’s Eric Dier and West Ham United’s Declan Rice could soon be international teammates with England.
BBC Sport pundit Ian Wright has suggested that West Ham United ace Declan Rice is a better player that Tottenham’s Eric Dier as they could potentially become England’s teammates in the near future.
Defensive midfielder Rice opted to switch allegiances recently from the Republic of Ireland to England recently and he will be looking to make Gareth Southgate’s squad at the end end of this month.
The 20-year-old has been one of the Premier League’s standout performers this term, with his ability to protect the back four, sense danger and be calm in possession winning plaudits from his supporters.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live on the Monday Night Club, Wright was asked whether he would put Rice in the England squad, while Chris Sutton asked him whether he is a better player than Die, his response may annoy some Spurs fans.
“Yes [I would put him in the England squad],” Wright told BBC Radio 5 Live. “It’s a position that we struggle to fill, we haven’t really got that player who can naturally do the role as good as we are seeing Declan Rice doing it at the minute.
Wright is then asked by Chris Sutton if he thinks Rice is better than Dier: “Yes, especially in that position. Of course. Plus, Eric is not playing at the moment, unfortunately for him. Plus at the same time, we are talking about someone who is in top for at the minute, he’s nailed his colours to the mast and now he’s ready to go.”
It is looking highly likely that Rice will be part of England’s plans going forward because his performances on the pitch during this season cannot be ignored.
Added with that, he plays in the number six position, therefore, he will be competing with the likes of Dier, Jordan Henderson and Harry Winks for that spot.
Midfielder Henderson is currently playing in a Liverpool team trying to win the Premier League title, Winks is now being used more regularly by Mauricio Pochettino and Dier is on the sidelines.
Therefore, there isn’t an abundance of players competing for those spots which opens up the door for Rice not only to make the England squad but break into the starting XI.
Nonetheless, Rice will be focussing on helping the Hammers secure a top 10 finish in the Premier League, with the highly-rated youngster scoring during their recent win against Newcastle.
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