Jack Collison heaped praise on West Ham midfielder Declan Rice and claimed that there was every opportunity that Manuel Pellegrini will build his upcoming squads around him.
The Hammers youth coach shared that he believes Pellegrini may build his future team around the 20-year-old midfield enforcer and raved about how fantastic the player has been this season.
Collison aside from claiming Rice was worthy of being the Hammers’ centrepiece, revealed he thought the Hammers player could be a future club captain and club legend if he really knuckled down.
“He’s been fantastic hasn’t he? He really is the flag bearer for the academy at the moment,” said Collison in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.
“Obviously you have Nobes (Mark Noble) who has been there and done it all, he’s been going for ages.
“It’s great for us as a club to have some one like Declan, so fresh out of the under-23s, fresh into the first team who is going from strength to strength.
“Week in week out he’s been consistent with his performances. It’s great for us as a club to see him rewarded with an England cap.
“For Dec there will come a time, obviously for any young English player there is going to be talk of clubs coming in for you.
“I think he has an opportunity to really knuckle down and could be a future club captain and club legend.
“The fans love him here, you can tell he loves being here and there’s every opportunity that this manager (Pellegrini), and upcoming manager, will build the upcoming squads around Declan Rice.
“He’s a fantastic young player and one thing that is obvious is his leadership qualities. The way he conducts the game and the way he plays it is clear he has an old head on young shoulders.”
OPINION
It shouldn’t be a surprise to hear someone associated with the Hammers gush about Rice as he has been in tremendous form this season. The 20-year-old has shone bright throughout the majority of the current season despite the Hammers’ form being so inconsistent week-to-week. With this in mind it’s no surprise that Collison believes Pellegrini may opt to build a side around Rice. The Hammers boss needs players he can count on and trust to deliver the goods every time they pull the shirt on, and Rice completely fits that bill. The 20-year-old doesn’t just wow with the ball at his feet but seems to have leadership qualities that sees those around him up their game. With Noble now the wrong side of 30, the Hammers have been crying out for a worthy successor to him as captain, and they should look no further than Rice. Hopefully the Hammers are able to keep Rice for multiple seasons to come even if clubs do come calling, as it’d be heartbreaking to see him leave.
