Premier League

Pearce raves about Rice

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Stuart Pearce gushed about West Ham midfielder Declan Rice while sharing that he was quite impressed by the 20-year-old’s England debut.

The former Hammers man shared that he thought the 20-year-old seemed to enjoy playing for England against Czech Republic on Friday and that playing for his nation would certainly help his career.

Pearce noted that he thought Rice was still best suited to playing in defence but that the Hammers needed him to play in midfield just in front of their centre-backs.

“I was quite impressed with him when he come on, seem to enjoy himself and every minute he spends on the pitch internationally will certainly help his career,” said Pearce on Sky Sports News (11:26am, Monday March 25th).

“I think he’ll eventually play as central defender without a doubt, probably if you asked me his absolute best position I’d say being one of three central defenders, literally on the right-hand side so he can surge into midfield as he’s very mobile.

“But I think West Ham at club level need him in there in front of the two central defenders.

“His big forte was that as a young man he soaks up knowledge, and he wants to sit with you in the afternoons to watch a DVD on his performances and the big thing for me is that last year with West Ham, he had a couple of days where he cost the team goals at Arsenal and Swansea but he bounced back brilliantly.

“And that resilience will stand him in good stead.”

OPINION

Pearce regularly gushes about Rice when asked about him after working with him last season, but was surprisingly reserved when talking about his England debut. The Hammers man didn’t go over-the-top with his praise and that was quite a surprise. Pearce probably refrained by heaping too many plaudits on Rice as he is yet to make his full debut for England. The midfield enforcer replaced Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli in the 63rd minute of his nation’s 5-0 victory over the Czech Republic and that wasn’t enough time to showcase his full potential. Hopefully Rice gets the nod to start England’s clash with Montenegro as he should be able to show off his talents more if given a full 90 minutes. While some Hammers fans will no doubt rather he was wrapped up in cotton wool to avoid him getting injured, impressing for his nation could give him a useful confidence boost. Rice may be already in high-spirits after being in impressive form this season, but a little added confidence never hurt anyone.

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