Former West Ham United winger Trevor Sinclair cannot get enough of Hammers midfielder Declan Rice, stating that it was no surprise that Premier League champions Manchester City were interested in him.
Sky Sports reported in June that the east London outfit told both Manchester teams that the England international wasn’t for sale after they enquired about his services. Sinclair can see why they were interested.
“We were talking about Rodri, it’s no surprise that Manchester City were linked with him [Rice],” he told talkSPORT [09/08; 17:29]. “Screens, disciplined, fantastic technique keeping the ball. Comes up with the odd goal, as well.
“For me – any young player coming up, if you want to see how to conduct yourself on the pitch and deal with big situations and that atmosphere, stay calm and stick to what you know; I think he’s a great example.”
OPINION
Sinclair hits the nail on the head, here. Rice is an absolutely perfect example of what a young player coming through should strive to be like. He wasn’t the most technically gifted growing up, he wasn’t the one pinpointed as the next big thing or anything like that. No, he had to work hard for everything he’s gotten and now he’s reaping the benefits. He’s an England international for a reason, and both Manchester teams wanted him for a reason. Obviously City ended up going for Rodri from Atletico Madrid in Rice’s position as their chosen successor to Fernandinho. However, the fact that they took a look at Rice first and were interested enough to submit an enquiry to the Hammers tells you everything you need to know about what a good player he is. The fact that arguably the world’s best manager in Pep Guardiola wanted to sign him suggests that the West Ham star is a pretty good player, and Sinclair seems to agree.
