According to a recent report by the Daily Star, Manchester United are interested in securing the signature of Declan Rice from West Ham United. It is understood that United boss Jose Mourinho is eager to lure the Hammers midfielder to Old Trafford to bolster his defensive options at the club.
Rice can be considered as one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League. Although he primarily plays as a centre-back, West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has converted him into a holding midfielder, a position where he has flourished since the start of this campaign.
The Rapid Emergence Of Declan Rice
The Republic of Ireland international started off his football career playing for the Chelsea youth set-up before making a switch to East London to play for the Hammers. He managed to work his way up the club’s youth teams before graduating from the West Ham academy and establishing himself as a first-team regular under Pellegrini this season.
Rice has made 12 appearances for the Hammers this term and has one assist to his name across all competitions. He has also earned three international caps for the Republic of Ireland national team so far.
What Will He Add To Mourinho’s Team?
Rice is an excellent defender and provides adequate protection for the Hammers backline. He is not afraid to work his socks off to help his teammates in midfield and has also developed a habit of making some key interceptions during matches. At such a young age, the Republic of Ireland talent has already proven his worth at the highest level which is one of the main reasons why United should opt for him.
The West Ham midfield ace has a very promising future in English football and there is no doubt that he would be a massive coup for the Red Devils if they can pull off such a transfer. The prospect of Rice linking up with Nemanja Matic in midfield will undoubtedly provide a lot of protection for the leaky United defence, who have struggled to get going so far.
One For The Future?
Moreover, it will be an investment for the future as Rice can potentially play in the Premier League for another decade as long as he can stay healthy and keep finding ways to improve his overall game on the pitch.
