West Ham United Opinion: The Hammers must hold onto Declan Rice

According to a recent report by the Guardian, West Ham United’s young midfield star Declan Rice has pledged his immediate future to the Hammers and has dismissed any talks of a move away from the London Stadium this summer.

Despite heavy interest from some of the league’s biggest clubs including Manchester United, the youngster seems set to stay in London for another year.

The Englishman has been a revelation since coming through the ranks at West Ham over the last few years. Formerly a member of the Chelsea youth system, the youngster was released by the Blues before he was absorbed by the West Ham youth academy located across town.

His path to the top with the Hammers certainly didn’t come easy and he had to work his socks off to get to the position he’s in.

Still only 20, the youngster is already being compared to some of the best midfielders in the world due to his ability to perform all the necessary midfield responsibilities. Capable of breaking up play by intercepting a pass or getting to a loose ball faster, his ability to read play from large distances is quite impressive.

While his defensive work-rate is extremely high, the amount of control and calmness he brings to the centre of the park can’t even be explained.

For a 20-year-old, Rice shows almost unbelievable maturity and he doesn’t let his emotions get the better of him, be it on or off the pitch. He ensures that he keeps his anger in check and isn’t a very rash player on the field either. 

He has an amazing ability to pick out long passes from the midfield area. To see Rice misplace a long ball is quite rare, so he does boast a certain degree of attacking creativity as well. He’s pitched in with a couple of goals for he Hammers this season as well from the 34 appearances that he made for the side. 

Having already been capped twice by Gareth Southgate’s England side, the youngster is now well and truly on his way to becoming a star and despite the heavy interest from Manchester United, the youngster has stated that his intention is to stay at West Ham at least for the near future.

While he obviously has the quality, he could take a little more time to develop into a well-rounded individual before moving to one of the bigger clubs.

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West Ham United haven’t been quite as exciting as was expected of them at the start of the season. Although they’ve been haunted by injuries right from the opening knockings of the campaign, one player who’s stood out throughout is Declan Rice.

Keeping the youngster at the London stadium must become of the Hammers’ priorities if they intend to challenge for Europe next season.