In the last two years West Ham have been on a tremendous rise.
Suddenly, her fans no longer miss the old-fashioned Upton Park and connect to the Olympic Stadium, David Moyes looks like the right man to stand on the lines of the Hammers and quite a few players are in tremendous growth.
After finishing sixth in the table last year, now after 13 rounds - they are in fourth place seven points away from leading Chelsea.
Among all the tremendous bright spots that are growing in the club that in recent years has only become accustomed to being disappointed, there is a twinkling star that shines perhaps most of all - Declan Rice.
West Ham's growth as a club is not the only growth to which Rice belongs, which is considered an integral part of the fact that the England national team has become one of the best in the world. The 22-year-old midfielder who was born in England and started his adult career as a brakeman, represented Ireland in all the young teams and is considered by many to be one of the great hopes the neighbor had but in 2018 Gareth Southgate pressed him and took advantage of the fact he only played three friendly matches In the green uniform. The fact that he has an Irish grandparent did not stop him when he finally realized what would be the best move for his career.
And Rice as you can see, gambled and succeeded. He may not be at the top of the Premier League standings in any category, but if he is compared to the rest of the league, he is at the top in all the desired categories of those who play in midfield - accuracy with dedication and successful tackles. Rice's season opener is gaining momentum due to the fact that he started it after a great Euro for him where he got the team shirt from Southgate in a way that surprised quite a few people. The astonishment that people had from choosing him before connections like Jordan Henderson for example, quickly became astonishing at his ability to withstand the pressures and manage England's game perfectly with a leadership ability reserved for a few.
Quite a few people have recently compared Rice to Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, but unlike the two legends, he suffers from scoring goals, having so far scored four when only one came in the league.
At the same time, it is worth remembering that Steven Gerrard, who scored 120 goals in the Mighty Reds, only reached double-digit numbers once before the age of 24 and Lampard, who is at the top of Chelsea's all-time conquerors, did so only once until the age of 25. One, so anyone expecting Marice to get better at this aspect should wait patiently.
"Managing his game, the way he can change the pace of the game is something I haven't seen in a very long time," said another former West Ham icon - Rio Ferdinand.
"Besides he has started to score more and is very mature for his age. He will be a perfect contact in the future."
Rice.
Growing together with the hammers, Photo: Reuters
Like any player who grows up in a team that is not considered one of the English league lions, or any other league, and becomes a thing of the past, Rice is also surrounded by speculation about his future.
Just last month Trevor Sinclair recommended to Manchester United to kidnap him, John Terry called on Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel to pay whatever amount West Ham would like and Claverson, who previously played for United, said that Pep Guardiola, the city rival's coach, could have a perfect connection with Rice.
Increased to compliment former star Stuart Pierce who said he thought Rice was better than Roy Cain when he was 22.
Even before the move, which will probably be unavoidable, Rice will of course have quite a few goals left this year with West Ham and tomorrow he will have to continue to provide against the European champions and the ability he has been demonstrating lately to help the Hammers fulfill a dream this year and secure a Champions League ticket next season.
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