West Ham United Declan Rice earned his first England call-up on Wednesday.
Tim Sherwood has praised West Ham ace Declan Rice for dealing with ‘rejection’ by looking at ‘himself in the mirror’ and becoming a ‘proven’ player.
The Former Chelsea youth product recently earned his first call-up for England after deciding to make the controversial decision and switch allegiances from the Republic of Ireland, as reported by BBC Sport.
Many would agree that midfielder Rice has been of the standout players in the Premier League this season and given his age, 20, it is even more impressive in how he is playing.
Speaking to the Debate Show on Sky Sports Premier League, former Tottenham manager Sherwood was in awe of how Rice has dealt with his recent rise.
“He has taken rejection, he hasn’t sulked, he’s not thrown his toys out, he’s not blamed anyone else,” Sherwood told Sky Sports. “He has looked at himself in the mirror, took a new step, a new platform and now he’s proven he’s a player.”
Despite a successful campaign for the Hammers, Rice will be well aware that he needs to now push on and prove his worth to more people.
There will be more pressure on his young shoulders because of the performances he is putting, the size of the club he is playing for and the fact that he is set to become an England international.
It remains to be seen if he will still a West Ham player next season because given his talents and the performances he is producing on such a big stage there surely will be certain clubs looking at his progress.
Nonetheless, over the course of the season, Rice has played 27 Premier League matches, scoring two goals [transfermarkt] against London rivals Arsenal and Newcastle, respectively.
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