Marlon Harewood in awe of West Ham United star Declan Rice

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West Ham United’s Declan Rice will be looking to make England’s squad for the up and coming internationals.

Marlon Harewood has spoken in awe of Declan Rice and stated the West Ham United ace should ‘definitely’ be called up by England, with Gareth Southgate naming his squad on Wednesday.

Last month, Rice made the controversial decision to switch allegiances from the Republic of Ireland to England despite making three senior appearances for the Irish national team.

As expected, his decision didn’t sit well with many supporters, but the main reason behind his recent interest is the performances he has been putting in for the Hammers this season.

Speaking to Jim White on talkSPORT (12/03/2019 at 12:40 pm), former Upton Park favourite, Harewood stated that Rice has been playing ‘like a senior player’ and he has ‘deal with the situations’ that have been put in front of him.

“Off his performances, week in and week out, definitely [Rice should be selected for England],” Harewood told talkSPORT. “He’s been one of the top players in the Premier League for a young player that has been playing consistently well.

“He’s been fantastic. I can’t fault him. He’s come of age when he’s been called upon, he’s dealt with the situation. You sort of don’t look at him like a young player because what he is asked of he’s just done, he is like a senior player. But he still has a lot of time to learn. It’s been fantastic to watch.”

Last season, then-West Ham boss David Moyes brought the young teenager into the senior fold and he played him in a back three.

But during this campaign, Manuel Pellegrini has opted to utilise his talents as a number 6 and the highly-rated youngster has not looked back.

Rice has arguably been one of the best performing defensive midfielders this season and that is some feat considering the players that play in those positions.

One of them, Jordan Henderson, could become his England teammate by the end of this month if Southgate opts to pick him for the up and coming international matches.