Paul Ince believes that West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice is not good enough to play for Manchester United right now.
The former England international delivered his verdict that the 20-year-old should stay at the London Stadium because he can still improve with the Hammers.
Speaking on the Early Kick-Off on BT Sport on Saturday, Ince claimed that Rice was not on the right level to make it at Old Trafford at this stage of his career.
“No, they don’t,” Ince said, responding to a question on whether the Red Devils need Rice in their midfield.
“I think he needs to stay where he is.”
“I don’t think he’s at that level yet, so, no.”
This came after Noel Whelan suggested to Football Insider that he believes that Rice will be the next player to move for a Premier League record transfer fee, and suggested Manchester United could make a £90million offer.
OPINION
Rice has catapulted himself into the limelight in recent years, and will only continue to get better. The 20-year-old has become one of the Hammers’ main players in that time and plays a pivotal role in central midfield alongside Mark Noble. His international exposure will also draw attention from the biggest clubs, but right now, Rice must heed Ince’s advice and remain where he is to continue improving. Defensively, the young midfielder has averaged 3.5 tackles, and also completed 2.3 interceptions per game according to WhoScored – stats that prove how important he is to Manuel Pellegrini. A record transfer fee can add unwanted pressure on the shoulders of a young player, and Rice needs to continue to keep playing the same way he does at the London Stadium and ignore any speculation. There is no doubting the fact that Rice can make it to the top if he continues on the same path, but concentrating on his West Ham future is the only thing that should be on his mind at this moment.
