Former West Ham forward Marlon Harewood heaped praise on Declan Rice for stepping up in the absence of Mark Noble.
The 39-year-old, who played 147 times for the Hammers, gushed about Rice following his side’s 4-2 win over Burnley on Saturday and shared that he believed the youngster would only get better.
Harewood revealed that he was so proud of Rice, particularly due to him having a big role to play, and claimed that the 19-year-old had come of age.
“He looked phenomenal, I’m so proud of him, he’s come on the pitch and Noble was sent off last week and he has had to take on the role of Noble and that’s a big role,” said the former Hammer on Love Sport Radio, which be heard in a clip via their Twitter account.
“The presence of captain like Noble, but he has done so well to take that on and he has come of age.
“He can only get better and I’m so proud of him and so pleased that he is doing so well.”
OPINION
Harewood knows the pressure of playing for the Hammers and more importantly no doubt understands what it means to be captain of the club. Therefore he knows what a big loss Noble is, due to his suspension, so it’s no surprise that he gushes about Rice making it irrelevant that the veteran missed the recent clash with Burnley. The 19-year-old has been deployed as a midfielder by Manuel Pellegrini this season and has barely put a foot wrong when featuring. Rice may have struggled in his side’s Premier League opener against Liverpool but in the nine appearances that have followed, he has been vital to the cause. The teenager is always striving to be first to the ball and his tackling as well as his passing has seen him be a reliable presence in Pellegrini’s midfield. Hopefully Rice is able to keep improving like Harewood suggests as that would mean that the world is effectively his oyster.
