West Ham United star Declan Rice likely to be next England captain
Declan Rice is the “likeliest” candidate to replace Harry Kane as England captain as the West Ham man gears up for his first World Cup.
Rice made his England debut in March 2019 and has since gone on to make 34 appearances for his country scoring two goals, and was an instrumental part in Gareth Southgate’s side reaching the Euro 2020 final.
His performances for both club and country have caught the eye and The Athletic (18 November) suggest the 23-year-old will be the player to take over captain duties from the Tottenham striker when he decides to relinquish his leadership role.
Makes sense
Rice is the perfect captain material. He rarely puts a foot wrong, is aggressive, combative, and leads by example. He is the ideal fit for when Kane wishes to focus purely on scoring goals for England. The issue for West Ham fans is that the more accolades the 23-year-old is linked with, the more likely a move away from the London Stadium becomes.
Ultimately, a player of Rice’s quality has to be playing Champions League football, and at 23, he will want to be playing at the highest level for as long as he possibly can. 90min report (4 October) that Rice is still a top priority for Chelsea, with links to the West London club never really going away.
The 23-year-old obviously has a history with Chelsea and a lot of connections at the club, which could well see a move materialise at some point in the future. However, if Graham Potter’s side don’t qualify for the Champions League, then it’s likely Rice wouldn’t be eager on the move.
West Ham fans must live in hope that their side can turn salvage something from the 2022/23 campaign, which could convince the England man to stay put.