David Ornstein shares positive update on West Ham United star Declan Rice ahead of England v France World Cup quarter-final
David Ornstein claims that while West Ham midfielder Declan Rice missed England’s training session on 7 December, he’s not likely to be ruled out.
The Three Lions face France in their most daunting test of the World Cup so far on Saturday and Rice has been absent from training on Wednesday due to illness.
However, the Athletic journalist allayed fears when he said that he’s not heard anything that suggests it will rule him out of the game.
He took to Twitter to say, “Declan Rice is not here, England’s key midfielder. He’s suffering from an illness of sorts, he’s not well. We’ve not got any suggestion that it risks his involvement or participation against France but it’s obviously a little bit disappointing for England that he’s not out here.”
Relief
England’s chances of winning this game reduce if Rice is not there to pull the strings from the middle of the park.
While most of the attacking players have gotten the spotlight in this tournament, the 23-year-old’s impact has gone understated.
He’s constantly been there to shield the back line, bring the ball out of defence, get forward when needed and ensure that the defensive responsibility of the likes of Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson and Mason Mount are reduced.
Had he been playing in a two, it would’ve been a lot easier for him, but would take away another attacking player.
In many ways, he’s doing the job of two players in midfield and that’s what he’s doing for West Ham for the last three seasons at least.
We’re hoping that he stays and signs the big-money deal that the club will soon put on the table for him because he’s clearly worth every penny.