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Rice gets international call up

RiceMartin O’Neill has drafted West Ham teenager Declan Rice into the Republic of Ireland squad for the end of season internationals. Rice, who turned 18 in January, made his Premier League debut for the Hammers as a late substitute in last Sunday’s 2-1 win over Burnley spending four minutes on the pitch.

It was the first time that the Hammers used a teenager in the first team all season after Rice had three stints on the bench as an unused substitute.

Named Ireland Under-17 Player of the Year for 2016 last month and captain of West Ham’s U23 team who won Premier League 2 promotion to the first division, he can play in defence or midfield. Released by Chelsea as a schoolboy, he qualifies for Ireland through his grandparents. He was awarded the Dylan Tombides award in May at the West Ham Players’ awards for the best Academy player after winning the Young Hammer of the year (U18) the year before.

Academy Director Terry Westly believes Rice has a big future ahead of him.

 

About Sean Whetstone

I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball, I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh. Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons! Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter

One comment on “Rice gets international call up

  1. Unless Bilic changes his ways with his selection and use of the youth then Rice will have to go elsewhere.
    Seeing Collins and Ogbonna pathetically allow Burnley to open the scoring we will be in another relegation fight.
    With Smalling being linked I can’t see Oxford,Burke or Rice receiving game time
    4 minutes was a patronising amount of game time

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