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West Ham fans will be praying for Rice full England debut

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OPINION

It’s not often that a club like West Ham United sees one of their players start a competitive fixture for England, but that could well be the case in the Three Lions’ clash with Montenegro on Monday.

Reliable Hammers news source Claret & Hugh reported on Sunday that it’s likely that Chelsea star Ross Barkley will get the nod over West Ham midfielder Declan Rice in the Euro 2020 qualifying clash.

However, every fan of the East London outfit will surely have their fingers crossed that the 20-year-old does make his full England debut after coming off the bench against Czech Republic on Friday night.

It would be a big thing for the supporters to see Rice start, to see that one of their players is considered among the best the nation has to offer.

And Rice is certainly that. There’s no doubt that he’s good enough to start against Montenegro, the question is just whether Gareth Southgate feels confident enough to select him.

The former Middlesbrough boss may opt for more experience with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli and Barkley, but Rice’s defensive nous would come in handy against the always-dangerous Montenegrins. That would then allow Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane to do what they do best up front.

It would be a big source of pride for the Hammers faithful to see their star man get the nod over someone who plays for the traditional ‘big six’. Let’s hope that it happens.

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