Alan Shearer heaped praise on West Ham midfielder Declan Rice and shared he believes the player has a bright future in the game.
The Premier League icon shared that he had seen many youngsters burst on to the scene before disappearing just years later, but suggested he thought Rice could be different from those players.
Shearer shared that Rice will needed to handle offers coming his way and continue to show the same desire as well as the right attitude in order to fulfil his potential.
“He’ll be offered so much in the next three or four years, it’s how he handles all of that,” said Shearer on Football Focus (12:57, Saturday April 6th, BBC One).
“He has to have the right attitude, keep the same desire, as we’ve seen so many youngsters, 19-20, come into the game, do very well then sorta disappear seven or eight years later.
“I think he could be different, in fact he has got a very very good future.”
OPINION
Rice looks like he has a mature head on a young pair of shoulders so it’s no wonder why Shearer believes the Hammers man has a good future ahead of him. The pundit looks like he is about to issue an indirect warning at Rice over the pitfalls he will face in his career, then changes his mind. It seems Shearer has already seen enough to make him not worry about Rice just being another 20-year-old who is a flash in the pan. Hammers fans are no doubt already convinced that Rice has what it takes to excel in football at the highest level after watching him wow them all season, and will just have to hope his head remains firmly screwed on. Shearer claims a lot will be offered to Rice in the coming years, perhaps implying lucrative transfer proposals will come his way, but hopefully he ignores any interest in him that would lead him away from the London Stadium.
