The young West Ham United midfielder has been of interest to many big clubs in the past.
From a young Irish centre-half to one of England’s best defensive midfielders, Rice’s improvement over the last three years has been nothing short of incredible.
The 21-year-old’s performances have attracted a number of big clubs including the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United in the past. (Sky Sports)
West Ham have held on to their star midfielder and Moyes claims there is no doubt about the fact that Rice will be a future Hammers skipper.
He said: “Declan will go on to be a future captain of West Ham, there’s no doubt about that. I can see big improvements from when I left. He’s now someone who is physically much better: he’s much quicker, much stronger. And he has a better understanding.”
“I think he’s learning under Mark Noble the leadership side of it. He was a quiet boy when I first came to the club, but he’s developing a good personality. He’s got a lot of things to do better but as a young boy, he’s doing very well.”
Playing next to Noble would have helped him a lot, both about leadership and the responsibilities of a deep-lying midfielder.
Noble will turn 33 in a few months and West Ham need to put a succession plan in place. Rice, if he stays with the Hammers, is an ideal candidate. But, to keep hold of him, Moyes has to make sure his side stay up this season.
The Hammers are 18th in the league ahead of tonight’s game against Liverpool. The Hammers still have Arsenal, Wolves, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United to play before the end of the season.
Moyes’ men cannot afford to lose all of the above games but, if their recent form is anything to go by, there is a huge chance that they will.
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