West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice will be hoping to earn his first England cap on Friday.
Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips has claimed that West Ham midfielder Declan Rice ‘reminds’ him of Serie A legend Esteban Cambiasso.
The Argentina stalwart is known for his time in Italy’s top-flight where he made over 400 appearances for Inter [transfermarkt] winning the treble, including the Champions League during his time at the club.
Rice will have to go a long way to match the career of Cambiasso, but the 20-year-old is showing signs of huge promise in what is the early stages of his career.
Speaking on the Debate show on Sky Sports Premier League (19/03/2019 at 10:20 pm), former Premier League striker Phillips was in awe of what Rice can bring to the table.
“He has a good footballing brain,” Phillips told Sky Sports. “Technically he is good, he reads the game. He is getting that experience of breaking up play as the defensive midfielder.
“He kind of reminds me of a player we had a Leicester called Cambiasso, one of the best in the world a holding midfielder – it’s about being clever.”
At this moment in time, Rice is currently on international duty with England and he will be hoping to earn his first cap when the Three Lions take on the Czech Republic on Friday.
Throughout the season, the youngster has showcased great calmness and ability on the ball despite still being in the early years of his career.
It could be argued that Rice, who has been playing in the number six position, has been the best performing player in that position this season.
The likes of Manchester City’s Fernandinho or Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson, both of whom are chasing the Premier League title, may argue otherwise. But either way, the future looks bright for Rice.
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