Declan Rice has made his position absolutely clear about a move away from the London Stadium to Manchester United …or seemingly to anywhere else.
The Hammers and England defensive midfielder is putting himself out there at the moment and has chosen to open up on his present and future.
United were known to be keen in the summer and from all we here the interest is ongoing but right now they appear to have no chance of taking the 20 year old away.
Declan is determined to improve his game, to move to the next level and he is making it very clear that he intends to do that at West Ham.
In his head this is entirely the wrong moment to be moving on and the reality is that he is a serious West Ham oy whose mentor Terry Westley once told me during the contract talks: “He’s as dedicated to this club as it’s possible to be – he won’t be gojng anywhere.”
And the 20 year old told FourFourTwo: “Don’t get me wrong, I think I’ve got the ability to play for a club like that.
“But it’s all about the timing and I don’t think the timing is right for me at all.
“I’ve still got so much to learn.
“I’m loving it at West Ham, the connection between me and the supporters is special.
“It’s the best play for me to play football.”
As a Hammers fan and a ROI fan I have a real conflict here. I respect his decision to play for England, that is his decision to make, but I can’t help but be unsure about whether Hammers fans can depend on his commitment! I really hope we can, as he is a fine player and a good lad. We have to ensure that we do well enough to make sure he is not likely to be lured away.
So many people have reported this quote and it’s causing lots of people to attack him for saying what he did but correct me if I’m wrong, didn’t he also follow that up by saying how Mark Noble is a legend at the club for his long service and that it would be nice if he could follow in his footsteps? Or did I just read a mis-quote reported elsewhere?
Why would you talk about leaving and joining another team needs to grow up and and show some loyalty.