Declan Rice insists he is now back to his best at West Ham.
The Hammers midfielder put in a genuinely sensational display against Liverpool in midweek, as the Hammers narrowly lost 1-0 at Anfield.
Rice bossed the midfield and was consistently looking to move the ball forward and make things happen in the final third.
The England international has now claimed that he has reached the level that he has been at in previous seasons, having become Hammers captain and also carving out a niche as one of Gareth Southgate’s best players for England.
Speaking to the club’s official website after the Anfield defeat, Declan said: “Personally, I feel like I’m back to my level, even though I didn’t think I was too far off at the start of the season.
“I knew I could go up another two or three levels in the last few games I’ve been feeling back to my best again, to feel good again, and hopefully I can stay here now for the rest of the season, pushing the team to get as many points and put in as many good performances as possible.”
He also claims that previous comments over game time were twisted by the media, as he insists he wants to play every single minute that is on offer.
Given that the Irons are also playing Europa Conference League football this season, he may well have to.
He added: “Some of the comments [in a recent press conference] I made about playing lots of games were taken and switched around, when in fact I was looking for a way to play even more games last season, as I wanted to get up to 70 for West Ham and England. I said I felt tired after games, but that’s because of the intensity and, of course, you should be tired when you come off the pitch!
“I want to play as much as possible. I train every day and I play every game I can. I know I’m in a privileged position and I actually want to play more games, as the more appearances I can get, the better it looks for me, so I want to keep pushing.
“I don’t like it when there is a week in between games. I like it that we’re in Europe because it means we’re playing every three or four days, because that’s how you find your groove.”