Chris Sutton praises Declan Rice for his effective performances for England
West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice has been a key player for England in recent months, and Chris Sutton is tipping him to impress against Scotland.
The Three Lions host Steve Clarke’s men later today at Wembley in their second group game of Euro 2020, and a tough clash is on the cards.
Rice played in the opener against Croatia on Sunday, putting in a solid performance in the 1-0 victory.
While the West Ham star went under the radar, Sutton believes he makes the England midfield tick.
“He does what he does so effectively, and it can go unnoticed,” the BBC pundit told the Daily Mail.
“England’s midfield wouldn’t be the same without Rice in it.”
Absolutely
Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips was the star of weekend’s game, but that would not have been possible without Rice.
The Hammers stand-in skipper played a more defensive role of the midfield duo, allowing his partner the license to roam forward.
A lot of football fans do not get to take note of such a crucial role, and it is why such top performances can often go unnoticed.
Rice remains underrated by a lot of English and Premier League fans, and it is very easy to see why.
The West Ham academy graduate does not score a lot of goals or create plenty of goalscoring opportunities, but those are not his main responsibilities.
He provides cover for his defence and is one of the best at doing that in the Premier League.
The Irons got a huge player on their hands and are not looking to let him go anytime soon.
Rice will be looking to go about doing his impressive job in England’s midfield tonight, and we can only hope more people will notice how important he is to Gareth Southgate’s side.
In other West Ham news, David Gold posts cryptic tweet after being insulted by Irons fan .
Be sure to follow West Ham Zone on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Hammers and more exclusive interviews with Frank McAvennie.