Pellegrini must solve Rice midfield issue

Declan Rice heads off for international duty possibly showing the first signs of fatigue during the Huddersfield game – a scenario which is highly unlikely to have escaped the manager’s attention.

We can also thank our lucky stars that the ‘boy wonder’ has stayed fit all season because had he suffered injury it’s difficult to know how the team would have coped.

However, as far back as January it was clear – and the manager has admitted it since – that a priority signing was a defensive midfielder in the shape of Gary Medel.

And given the player’s determination to leave Besiktas it would be no surprise were the former Cardiff defensive midfielder to arrive as a summer signing.

Declan himself is of course imperious and will always be in the team when he is fit so getting a highly priced cover player may prove difficult given he would get restricted game time.

At 31 Medel has a couple of seasons left in him and with the only other option, 33 year old Carlos Sanchez, in no way a medium term answer, could be a sensible signing.

One thing is for sure, a decent cover player has to be found or the Hammers could  find themselves on very thin midfield ice next season.