OPINION
West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice has not put a foot wrong all season. That is a simple but well-known fact.
Which makes it more worrying how he handled his full debut for England on Monday in the 5-1 win over Montenegro. It was the deserved reward after such a consistent season for the 20-year-old, and many no doubt tipped him to kick it out of the park.
Oh, how wrong were they. The youngster was a complete shadow of the player that he usually is on Monday. The one time where he is given the responsibility of playing for his country and he fluffled his lines more than you can imagine.
It does not take an expert to recognise that he was at fault for the opening goal from Montenegro. He was caught ball-watching and did not stick to his defensive duties in the way he normally so effortlessly does. A tiny bit strange considering that he is a defensive midfielder, right?
It may be harsh to slam Rice, after all, it is his first full debut. Montenegro is a tough place to visit and take on that burden at the same time. However, you cannot just switch off during matches at any point.
Rice did recover and start to impress during the match but many West Ham fans will be convinced the player missed completely seizing his opportunity as he did struggle to shine as bright as he could.
Many West Ham fans will surely be sweating at this shock Monday sighting. The last thing they need is for one of their star players to fall off the boil in the Premier League. They will certainly have their fingers crossed that this display will not have knocked his confidence.
Either way, the signs for improvement are there. His talent is undeniable, and everybody knows that. However, you cannot help but think that Manuel Pellegrini is a tiny bit concerned about this international outing from Rice.
