‘Blossoming into a top player’ – Ferdinand hails ‘standout’ West Ham star
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has hailed the form of West Ham star Declan Rice after another impressive display against Leeds United.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE, the BT Sport pundit could not speak highly enough of the role that Rice is playing in this current Hammers side, saying: “Declan Rice, I think at the moment, is a standout player. He’s absolutely dominating the centre of the park.
“The first-half against Manchester United, he did alright, did well. Against Leeds, very, very good. Solid, solid performance. And I think all-round, he seems to just be flourishing, really blossoming into a top player.”
Rice played a key role for the Hammers last Friday, who took all three points at Elland Road after going behind early in the first half.
Mateusz Klich scored from the spot for the hosts inside the opening ten minutes before Tomas Soucek equalised halfway through the first half.
Italian defender Angelo Ogbonna scored the winner late for Moyes’ men in what was a valuable victory on the road.
All-action Rice becoming a complete midfielder
On a night where he was being constantly compared to his international team-mate Kalvin Phillips, Rice came out on top and showed how he is becoming one of the most complete midfielders in the Premier League.
Defensively, Rice was imperious, winning 100% of his defensive duels and 100% of his loose ball duels, while also making five interceptions – according to Wyscout.
It was a clear sign of improvement from Rice, who was winning more duels against Leeds when compared to his averages over 90 minutes this season.
On the ball, Rice was calm and positive. The England star had a pass success rate of 88% and completed 100% of his passes into the final third, as per Wyscout.
It was a clear sign of improvement from Rice, who only gave the ball away four times at Elland Road. According to Wyscout, Rice has been giving the ball nearly six times on average per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season.
In other West Ham news, Dominant Coufal plays starring role in win against Leeds