West Ham legend Tony Cottee has praised “really nice lad” Declan Rice and claimed the youngster can captain the Hammers one day.
The former striker, who now works as a commentator, scored over 120 top-flight goals for the east London side in two stints with the club.
And he has insisted Rice can go right to the very top of the game if he continues his fine form in the claret and blue shirt.
Cottee said: “Declan is a fantastic player.
“I’ve met him and he seems like a really nice lad and one that really cares about the football club.
“With Mark Noble in the twilight years of his career, there’s going to be a gap to fill as a player who is a West Ham man and can go on to captain the side.
“He’s a player that can step up to that role in years to come.”
Cottee also believes Rice could be a pivotal player for England in the future along with other rising stars like Tottenham’s Harry Winks and Wolves’ Morgan Gibbs-White.
He said: “There’s great competition within the squad and we are all excited about where England are as a nation.
“After the joys of last summer – a World Cup semi-final appearance and all the Under 17’s, Under 21’s.
“There’s a good stack of young players coming through: Gibbs-White, Loftus-Cheek, they’re all different players to Declan Rice.
“Harry Winks is a slightly different player, but the way Declan’s progressing, he’s got a real chance of getting into the fold and going on to win a big number of caps.”
Rice is yet to make a decision about whether to represent the Republic of Ireland or England.
The 19-year-old, who was born in London, is still eligible to play for England despite already making three appearances for Ireland in international friendlies.
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