Charlie Austin showers praises on West Ham star Declan Rice after England win
QPR striker Charlie Austin was left impressed with the performance of West Ham United ace Declan Rice against Germany last night.
The 22-year-old produced a defensive masterclass in midfield to help the Three Lions to a 2-0 win, with Gareth Southgate’s men securing a place in the quarter-finals against Ukraine as a result.
Rice has started all of England’s games at the European Championships, and Austin expects him to retain his place going forward, raving about him on talkSPORT.
“[Declan] Rice and Phillips controlled the game for us,” the veteran striker said on the radio station as shared on their Twitter page.
“If you look at it, the only game we questioned was the Scotland game when Declan came out and said, ‘we might have been below par’.
“But today, they were superb.”
Best international midfield pair
Rice and Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips have been on top of their games since the tournament started, and no midfield pair has caught the eyes as they have.
England are yet to concede a goal so far, and the duo deserves all the credit for providing the defence with enough quality cover.
Rice was withdrawn in the 87th-minute for Jordan Henderson, but we do not see him getting benched on Saturday.
West Ham have got a real gem on their hands, and it is not surprising that he is attracting a lot of attention from the biggest clubs in the Premier League.
We do not see him leaving the London Stadium this summer, though, and he will be keen to announce himself to the world in the Europa League next season.
The Irons won just three out of the six games the midfielder missed towards the end of last season, and his absence proved costly in our pursuit of Champions League football as we were just a win away from finishing in the top-four.
Rice has proven crucial to his country too, and long may it continue.
In other West Ham news, striker’s agent has arrived in England for transfer talks amid Hammers speculation.
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