The Hammers ace is currently deciding whether to play for England or the Republic of Ireland and Liverpool legend Aldridge fears the latter will lose out.
Liverpool and Republic of Ireland legend John Aldridge has admitted that he thinks West Ham United ace Declan Rice has finally made a decision on his international future.
Aldridge, who won several trophies at Anfield including the First Division in 1987-88, was born in Liverpool but opted to play for the Republic of Ireland as he was eligible, winning 69 caps and scoring 19 goals.
Meanwhile, Rice is currently mulling over picking England, where he was born and raised, and the Republic, where his paternal grandparents hail from (Irish Independent).
The 19-year-old has been capped three times at senior level for the ROI, but just in friendlies as opposed to a competitive match, leaving him still eligible to switch to England.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Aldridge expects the Hammers youngster to confirm he will switch his allegiance to the Three Lions, but added that he thinks financial and PR reasons are also being factored in by his entourage.
“The publicity machine behind Rice now is probably bad news for Ireland,” said Aldridge, a pundit for LFC TV and Liverpool Echo columnist. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he has an agent in his ear pushing him to declare for England in the next couple of weeks and turning his back on the chance to be the star man in the Republic of Ireland team for years to come.
“Without being crude, there are better sponsorship deals on offer out there if he is wearing an England shirt and for a lad who was born in London and grew up worshiping John Terry, I would guess he will pick the country of his birth in the end.”
Earlier this week, former England manager Sam Allardyce urged Gareth Southgate and his coaches to act quickly to claim Rice from the Republic of Ireland after watching his “outstanding” performance against Liverpool, according to talkSPORT.
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