West Ham United boss David Moyes admits he’d like to drop Declan Rice, but defender will play against Leicester City

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West Ham United are due to take on Leicester City in a crunch match at the weekend.

David Moyes has admitted to the London Evening Standard that ideally he would be able to take Declan Rice out of his West Ham United team at the weekend, but he will have to start against Leicester City.

Rice has struggled in recent West Ham matches, against Arsenal and Manchester City.

And Moyes admits that the youngster could benefit from a break from first-team action.

However, West Ham’s centre-back options are currently short – with James Collins and Winston Reid out injured – so Rice will continue to play in Moyes’ side’s crunch fixture against Leicester this weekend.

“It’s not been easy for Declan Rice in the past couple of games and sometimes, ideally, you might take a young player out of the team for a game or two,” Moyes admitted.

“Generally, though, he’s done well and we shouldn’t forget he’s just come through games against Chelsea, Arsenal and City — top teams where the challenges change in every game.

“On Saturday, he’ll be up against Jamie Vardy and something different again. For a young centre-half it’s tough, but he’s done really well this season, we’re really pleased with him.”

Rice looks to be one of the very best prospects at West Ham and in the Premier League.

The 19-year-old has been superb in the heart of West Ham’s defence, with his performances belying his tender years.

West Ham need Rice to be on the top of his game against Leicester though, as a defeat would be disastrous.

The Hammers are in the thick of the relegation battle, and could slip into the bottom three if results go against them this weekend.