Hammers star dubbed “unbelievable”

Nobody would argue with Roy Kean’s assessment of Declan’s game against Croatia yesterday afternoon but Slaven Bilic’s recent comments on the man now widely seen as the next Bobby Moore are far more instructive.

Slaven gave him his entry into the first team and admits he has been entirely astonished at the way the 22 year has developed his game.

There can hardly be anybody who hasn’t been shocked by the way Dec has developed his game over the last two or three years and it confirms everything his early mentor, for academy director Terry Westley,  has said of him – he always wants to learn and learn.

That he will become one of our all time greats so early in his life is a stunning testimony to this young man’s amazing abilities.

And Slaven is convinced there is no better candidate to captain his country in the future having seen his development close at hand and said: “Put it this way, he is a leader, already been skipper at a big club — and it is not a burden for him.

“He can cope with it. It is natural for him. And if he continues to improve, I would be very surprised if he does not captain the national team.

“He is unbelievable. I would be lying if I said I knew he was going to be this big so quickly. He is not stopping. The sky is the limit for him.”