Danny Murphy was impressed with Declan Rice’s impact for West Ham on Saturday as the midfielder rescued the east London club from one of the FA Cup’s greatest upsets against Kidderminster Harriers.
Writing in the Daily Mail, the BBC Sport pundit was wowed by Rice as the England international came on late in the second half to score a fantastic goal in stoppage time to send the Irons into extra-time, where Jarrod Bowen secured a 2-1 win.
Rice has enjoyed his best season yet for West Ham in terms of goals and overall performances, with Murphy even going as far as to comparing the midfielder to England and Premier League great Steven Gerrard.
Indeed, the 23-year-old has been one of the star players for West Ham this season as the Irons look to once again qualify for Europe, with Rice acting as captain with Mark Noble becoming a sporadic player under David Moyes.
Whilst West Ham were saved from FA Cup embarrassment from Kidderminster by Rice, the midfielder’s skilful goal was a stark reminder of how far the youngster has come this season. And for Murphy, his striker was reminiscent of Gerrard.
The pundit wrote: “Rice’s goal was phenomenal. It was like watching Steven Gerrard back in the day marauding forward and dragging his side back into the game in the last minute.”
Rice’s evolution to complete midfielder is massive for West Ham
The 23-year-old started as a defensive midfielder, yet over the past 12 months, Rice’s game has evolved into something much more complete, and for West Ham, this is massive for the club.
Indeed, whilst it could mean that the England international, will be eyed by more clubs, it also means that Rice’s price tag will only increase. And with the midfielder now being compared to Gerrard, there’s no telling how far the West Ham star can go from here.
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