Manuel Pellegrini believes Declan Rice is ready to represent England

West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini believes Declan Rice is ready to represent England at the senior level after switching his allegiance to the Three Lions earlier this month. The midfielder has already represented the Republic of Ireland on three occasions in friendlies but he has opted to commit to the Three Lions with the chance of securing silverware in the future.

In a report covered by Sky Sports, Pellegrini has backed the decision of the uprising star while suggesting that he is much better than some of the current midfielders with the national team setup, he said: “Yes. I think he is ready to play for England and I think that we are just starting the development of him as a player. But at this moment his performances are better than every holding midfielder. I am talking about the English players. Maybe there are other foreign players in big teams that are also playing well like Fernandinho but I repeat we are just starting, seeing what will be with Declan in the future.”

“Rice had been regularly featuring at the heart of the defence during the course“ of the previous campaign but that has changed with Pellegrini at the helm. Right from the off, the Chilean had no hesitation in featuring the youngster in the centre of the park and the move has paid dividends with him producing a number of standout performances “including one against Arsenal“ where he bagged his maiden goal in the 1-0 triumph.

Meanwhile, West Ham are scheduled to face Fulham at the London Stadium on Friday night and the game offers them with the opportunity to return to winning ways. The east London side have bagged just one triumph from the previous seven matches but they should fancy their prospects against the Cottagers, who have conceded more than two goals on average this term.