Tony Cascarino urges Gareth Southgate to play West Ham star Declan Rice as ‘central defender’
Tony Cascarino believes that England manager Gareth Southgate should experiment with playing West Ham star midfielder Declan Rice as a centre half.
The Three Lions suffered a surprising defeat in their UEFA Nations League opening match against Hungary on Saturday [04 June].
While talking to talkSPORT, Cascarino was of the opinion that the Hammers star has all the qualities to be successful as a central defender, which according to him is the weakest area for England.
“I would play Declan Rice as a central defender, it would be a breeze for him there,” said the 59-year-old.
“It will be an easy job for him as it will free up the midfield and bring Bellingham into the conversation. Rice won’t be there for goals and assists. He will block everything”.
Regardless of which position Rice plays, it is even more important to know which club he will be playing in next season.
The England midfielder had a fantastic 2021-22 season with the Hammers, which saw the club play their first Europa League semi-final.
His defensive positioning and ability to block all waves of opposition attacks made him a safety blanket for David Moyes. He isn’t just there to do his job, he holds the responsibility to create a defensive structure for his attackers to thrive on.
In the recently concluded Premier League season, the 23-year-old played 36 matches, scoring one goal and making four assists, according to Whoscored. He played 93% of the overall minutes for Moyes’ team.
It was his midfield partnership with Kalvin Phillips that helped England reach the final of UEFA EURO 2020, and that could be critical yet again at the World Cup.
In other West Ham news, a pundit has questioned if one West Ham ace is good enough to make a move after major transfer news
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