West Ham United’s Declan Rice knows Aston Villa assistant manager John Terry from their time at Chelsea.
Rice – who can operate as a central defender or as a defensive midfielder – recently announced on Twitter that he has decided to commit his international future to England despite having turned out for the Republic of Ireland senior team thrice.
The Sun has claimed that the 20-year-old was influenced in his decision by the advice he got from Terry, who knows the youngster from his time at Chelsea.
While Terry – now the assistant manager of Championship club Villa – is a Chelsea legend, Rice was on the books of the London club from 2006 until 2014 before being released.
Promising talent
Rice is a superb footballer and has established himself as an important player in West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini’s first team.
The 20-year-old is likely to become a key figure in Gareth Southgate’s starting lineup in the coming weeks and months.
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