Ian Wright does not see West Ham ace Declan Rice playing in defence v Lyon
Ian Wright does not see West Ham midfielder Declan Rice playing in defence against Lyon in the Europa League.
With the tie at 1-1, the winner of this game will book their spot into the semi-finals and set up a potential contest with Barcelona.
Kurt Zouma is understood to be unavailable for this one and Wright sees Issa Diop being handed a rare start.
Speaking on the Kelly and Wrighty Show, he said, “I wouldn’t play Declan Rice at the back. I’ll bring in Diop. He’s been in and out of the side but this is a good game for him to shine.”
Right move
This season, Rice has shown why he is so much more than a sitting midfield player.
He’s played a box to box role and has often found himself setting up chances and scoring goals for the Hammers.
Playing him in defence, takes this away from his game and he is put in a more limited role.
While the 25-year-old Diop has not been at his best this season, he is a no nonsense centre-back and probably would be needed to cope with the physicality of the Lyon players.
They’re not going to give the Hammers players an easy ride and David Moyes’ side will have to be mentally and physically up for it or they could end up being blown away.
There’s a lot riding on this one and we cannot wait for the action to begin.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers have scouted a £20m-rated ‘Dangerous’ British striker and want to seal a permanent move this summer.
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