Declan Rice made the right call by choosing to play for England, according to outspoken BT pundit Chris Sutton.
The West Ham midfielder made his first start for the Three Lions on Monday evening in the 5-1 win over Montenegro, despite having already played three times in non-competitive matches for the Republic of Ireland.
The 20-year-old’s decision drew a lot of debate when it was made, but Sutton believes that it was the right thing to do.
Posting on his personal Twitter account after Monday’s match, he said: “Raheem Sterling is ridiculous. Chelsea fans must be scratching their heads why Hudson Odoi hasn’t started a PL game and Declan Rice made the right call switching for footballing reasons.”
Raheem Sterling is ridiculous
OPINION
For footballing reasons alone, Rice has absolutely made the right call. It’s important that nobody gets ahead of themselves with this young England side, but there is a tangible sense of excitement surrounding them, and it’s easy to see why. 10 goals in two matches, no matter who you are playing, is some feat, and even when they fell behind in Montenegro last night, they showed maturity and quality to come back and win so convincingly. His hard work might have gone unnoticed by some, but Rice played a key part in that comeback, breaking up play consistently and playing simple, efficient passes that provided a bedrock for the likes of Raheem Sterling and Callum Hudson-Odoi. The young Hammer was fantastic, and while there is still some discussion over whether or not he did the right thing, if he can pull out a few more performances like the one he did last night, the debate will soon be forgotten.