West Ham academy director Terry Westley have lauded centre back Declan Rice’s captaining qualities after the under 23s defeated League One outfit Bristol Rovers in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday.
The 3-1 win at the Memorial Stadium means the under 23s top their group after two matches following two straight wins. They won their first group game against Swindon Town back in August. Speaking about their most recent win, Westley told the club’s official website a lot of the credit must go to Rice for his leadership qualities:
“After a disastrous start, it just shows the character of this group led by a tremendous captain in Declan Rice and beside him Josh Pask, as centre-halves they really got to grips with what Bristol Rovers threw at us.”
“It was hard at times, having to keep heading balls and clearing it out but when we got it down, we passed them off the pitch. 3-1 could have easily been more than that.”
After his latest performance, many West Ham fans will be hoping that first team manager Slaven Bilic opts to start the defender in his favoured centre back position for league games.
Rice has started at centre back this season in the Carabao Cup, but his two starts in the Premier League came as a holding midfield player. Bilic’s decision to switch to a three man backline may aid the 18 year old in getting more starts in the heart of the defence for upcoming matches.
