Pundit smashes into West Ham United ace Declan Rice ‘nonsense’ ahead of England v France
We’re delighted to welcome former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium…
West Ham star Declan Rice has been blasted for speaking about wanting to play in the Champions League while on England duty at the World Cup.
The skipper was asked about his future in a press conference while in Qatar and admitted that he was jealous of England teammates who were plying their trade in Europe’s elite club competition, with his West Ham future firmly up in the air.
But Frank McAvennie claimed that while he understands Rice being honest, he believes the comments were “nonsense” and branded him “stupid” while predicting him to hold his own against the France midfield in England’s quarter-final clash.
“Declan will be great [against France], I think he can handle himself in any situation,” he told West Ham Zone.
“I think he’s grown in stature. I think he made a bad mistake. I like Declan but he made a mistake using West Ham as a platform to sell himself at the World Cup.
“Talking about how his pals are playing Champions League. That’s a load of nonsense.
“Just save that for when you come back. The World Cup is about England, it shouldn’t be anything to do with West Ham.
“So I feel that’s the first mistakes he’s made, trying to sell himself on the biggest stage. I just think it’s wrong.
“I know a lot of fans who are salty about that coming out of his mouth. I know he’s leaving so I get it, but just don’t do it at the World Cup.
“Say it when you’ve come back and talk about being at the World Cup, I can understand that and I think the fans understand all that. It’s just the way he tried to sell himself at the World Cup. It’s bad taste.
“It’s nearly as bad as him saying he’s never had a beer in his life. Stupid boy [laughs].”