William Gallas: West Ham United ace Declan Rice can become ‘world class’ after what he saw in World Cup
William Gallas believes West Ham captain Declan Rice is not world class yet, but he is excellent in midfield and could get there one day in the future.
Rice has been a regular for the Hammers and the England national team for several seasons, and started in midfield during the World Cup quarter-final defeat to France on Saturday (10 December).
But despite the defeat, Gallas told Genting Casino (13 December) that he feels that the future for England is bright and while Rice isn’t quite world class yet, he can get there along with several other regulars.
“How many world-class players played against France?” he asked.
“I think there are only two: Harry Kane and Kyle Walker. Saka, Bellingham, Foden, Rice, these guys are the future and with hard work and consistency, they can become world class players.
“Of course because when you have players like Bellingham – oh la la, what a player. Saka is magnificent. Foden, I’m sure he will reach the top level in the future. Rice is excellent in the midfield.
“Yeah, I’m not worried about the future for England, everything looks good.”
Talent
West Ham players have had a really good World Cup in terms of individual performances, with Lucas Paqueta shining for Brazil, Nayef Aguerd being superb for Morocco and Rice excelling for England.
But of all of those, most expected Rice to have a great tournament because we’ve watched him perform with the Hammers for a long time over the years and know that he is better than he even is capable of showing for us.
Playing with better players around him in a system that seems to suit his abilities more has allowed him to shine, and it’s no surprise that he has caught the eye of some of the legends of the game.
He’s one of several players who will have seen their reputation enhanced despite the quarter-final exit, and it’s likely only made his exit from West Ham more inevitable.
But no fans will begrudge him that exit so long as we are able to bring in the money we deserve for his departure, and now he can turn his focus on helping us push up the table rather than fighting a relegation battle.