Declan Rice sends three-word message to George Earthy after West Ham United debut v Freiburg
Declan Rice has sent a three-word message to 19-year-old George Earthy after the West Ham academy star was awarded his senior debut against Freiburg on Thursday (14 March).
The former Hammers captain will have had plenty of experience with the youngsters after advancing through the academy ranks and was quick to send a message to Earthy after the Europa League victory.
Rice left the club having helped lift West Ham’s first European trophy in over four decades, and it appears that his love for his former side is still ever-present despite moving on.
Reacting to Earthy’s Instagram post on Thursday (14 March), Rice replied: “Well deserved mate,” followed by a love heart.
Can George Earthy become the next special player at West Ham United?
As far as competitive debuts go, this was about as good an introduction as Earthy could have hoped for given how dominant the Hammers were in their Europa League clash against Freiburg.
The 19-year-old midfielder was only given four minutes as the Hammers thrashed Freiburg 5-0 to secure a 5-1 aggregate success at the London Stadium and Earthy will now be hungry for more minutes.
Despite a lack of development with Divin Mubama in the first team, having made zero league starts this season, David Moyes will know exactly how to handle Earthy’s integration into the first team.
Bringing him on at 5-0 up, 5-1 on aggregate, was a chance for the youngster to gain a valuable experience, with Jacob Knightsbridge, Kaelan Casey and Lewis Orford also in the squad on a special European night.
Considering Earthy’s performances with the Under 18s and Under 21s, it could only be a matter of time until his involvement with the first team is a regular occurrence.
Capable of playing anywhere along the spine of the midfield, he has recorded 10 goals and eight assists in 23 appearances in all competitions. And it is no surprise that he was promoted from the U18s last season, producing 13 goal contributions in 10 U18 Premier League matches.
In other West Ham news, Jarrod Bowen has shared a new Moyes admission amid sack speculation at the London Stadium
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