West Ham United’s Declan Rice is the next big thing in English football.
Manuel Pellegrini has told Football London that West Ham United ace Declan Rice will be a household name in the coming years – but stresses that he still has a lot to learn.
Rice is slowly but surely establishing himself as one of the best young players in Europe.
The 19-year-old stole the show with an all-action midfield display on Saturday as West Ham beat Crystal Palace at the London Stadium.
With his contract up next summer, Rice, who has started 13 Premier League games this season, could well attract much bigger clubs when the January transfer window opens.
For now he belongs firmly to West Ham and although Pellegrini has raved about his potential, the Chilean insists that his footballing education is far from finished.
He told Football London: ” He is 19, at that age you are never tired. You don’t need to rest, you can play two games, after that you go and dance.
“I think that Declan has a great future, in this moment he is a very mature player – at 19 years old it is not easy, he needs to learn a lot about how to play better in that position but in every ball he gives all in the 95 minutes, he has good recovery and a good technique.
“I think we are seeing a player that you must talk about a lot in future years.”
What a player West Ham, but Pellegrini is right. As talented as Rice is, he could still get a lot better, which is both exciting and worrying.
The Irons have had plenty of brilliant young players down the years, from Ravel Morrison to Domingos Quina more recently. Neither made it in East London because neither were able to reach that next level.
Time will tell whether Rice can succeed where they failed.
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