Talksport presenter Adrian Durham has urged England manager Gareth Southgate to secure the international allegiance of West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice.
The Hammers starlet has been considering his international future for several months now. The player has represented the Republic of Ireland on three occasions but only in friendlies, meaning that he can declare for the Three Lions if he so chooses.
Durham has had his say: “How come England haven’t secured him?,” he said on talkSPORT. “If his mind wasn’t made up England had to get in there and make him English!
“Gareth Southgate has said there aren’t a lot of English players to choose from in the Premier League. You can’t just let another one go lightly.
“He’s let David Brooks go – he had him with the England team that won in Toulon. He was the player of the tournament – in an England shirt. Next thing you know he’s playing for Wales. Gareth Southgate, I think, has to be more assertive here.”
OPINION
Southgate has surely been in touch with Rice and made it known how much he wants him to represent England, there’s surely no doubt about that. But, ultimately, the manager can only do so much and it is down to Rice in the end. The player himself needs to figure out what he wants to do because this situation has been dragging along for an age now. He has represented Ireland already, but he was born in England. The fact that he was born and raised in England surely means that he feels more English than Irish, who he can only represent because of his grandfather. Durham does have a point about letting him slip through the net, though. We’re seeing this season that it was a major error to allow Brooks to represent Wales. He has been unbelievable for Bournemouth, and you don’t want to be thinking the same thing in a few years time with Rice. However, it is all down to the player and he really needs to make his mind up now.
