England are confident that Declan Rice will choose to switch his international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to the Three Lions, according to the Mail.
The newspaper reports that the Football Association has received significant encouragement that the 19-year-old wants to pursue an international career with England.
Assistant manager Steve Holland is set to deliver a glowing assessment of Rice’s talents to Gareth Southgate when the pair meet at the start of this week to discuss the England squad to face Croatia and Spain later this month.
The 6ft [Source: Transfermarkt] West Ham United starlet already has three caps for Martin O’Neill’s side, but none of those were competitive meaning he is free to switch to England if he wishes.
OPINION
This is a story that has rumbled on for too long now and it really needs to be put to bed. Hopefully it will be once Rice is selected in the upcoming England squad. Even then it won’t stop those people who feel it’s wrong to change international allegiances once you’ve played for a country. The 19-year-old was born in England, though, and clearly feels that he will have a more enriching international career playing for Southgate’s side. Having followed the Three Lions’s progress this summer in Russia who can blame him? Obviously this would represent a significant blow to the Republic of Ireland who obviously thought they had found a star that’d slipped through England’s net. Rice is certainly good enough to play for the country of his birth, however, so it would be a big shock at this point if he isn’t included in the next England squad. He has been excellent for the Hammers and deserves the opportunity to test himself against players like Luka Modric and Sergio Busquets later this month.
