Paolo Di Canio blown away by West Ham star Declan Rice
Paolo Di Canio has waxed lyrical about West Ham star Declan Rice after his England displays at Euro 2020 this summer.
Rice, 22, has earned rave reviews for some of his performances at UEFA’s showpiece tournament in recent weeks as the Three Lions marched their way to a semi-final meeting with Denmark on Wednesday.
Irons hero Di Canio appeared on talkSPORT on Tuesday afternoon alongside Jim White and Simon Jordan, and was effusive in his praise for England midfielders, in particular Rice.
“They were incredible and made them [England] nearly impossible to beat,” he said.
When White asked the Italian what he thought of Rice, Di Canio replied: “Fantastic. He’s a fantastic guy because he’s a specialist in this position in midfield.
“Rice became the third central defender against Ukraine and he sorted out any problems, he’s a very, very good player.
“It’s no coincidence that in England you hear about Chelsea interest.
“To have Rice at this time in his career with the prospects that he can become one of the best in his position with his physical presence.
“He’s one of the best.”
Heroes
Di Canio’s legendary status at West Ham is already firmly cemented, and Rice is well on the way to attaining the same level of status among supporters.
The pair are very different characters – Rice is an easy-going, jovial character, while the Italian was famed for his fiery attitude that sometimes spilt over and caused him to end up in trouble.
But Di Canio’s talents were never in doubt during his spell at the Irons, and he was a firm fans favourite.
Rice is much the same – supporters love his never-say-die attitude and technical talents that mark him as one of the best central midfield players in the league despite his youthful years.
Di Canio knows his stuff, and who are we to argue that Rice is already among the very best.
In other West Ham news, Ashley Cole reacts as Irons star slammed by ITV pundit live on-air amid ‘Unbelievable’ moment.
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