(Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images)
Angelo Ogbonna has revealed that he was hardly surprised when Declan Rice received an international call-up from England boss Gareth Southgate.
Playing behind him in the Hammers team ,with Declan keeping the pressure off the defence as much as possible, puts Oggy in a unique position to judge the 20 year old.
Rice has of course been quite outstanding throughout the Premier League campaign and an England cap tomorrow night (Fri) against the Czech Republic would make it the most memorable of his life both now and in the years to come.
That a 20 year old Hammer should be widely recognised as probably the best defensive midfielder in the country is still something it’s hard to get one’s head round after a 10 year wilderness period in the life of the academy.
But Oggy, everybody inside the club and us fans will have everything crossed that he gets that first cap tomorrow and can make the same impression on the Three Lions he has on West Ham United.
Ogbonna told www.whufc.com: “I did expect it to happen so quickly. Dec has a lot of quality and I’m very, very happy for him. This is just the beginning for him and I wish him the best of luck.
“I’m not surprised to be fair because everybody can see his quality. He is a talented player, but first of all I think he is a humble player, a humble person, so he deserves this and I wish him the best of luck for everything. He has to keep his feet on the ground and continue in this way.
“He can read the game, he is very good on the ball, as a centre half he can keep the ball at his feet and he can give the team the balance.
He has many qualities as a young player and he has to keep working and improving. With talent and quality, I think he can be successful for England.”
