West Ham's Michail Antonio has given his take on the 'difficult situation' facing his team-mate, Declan Rice and his international future.
Rice was Man of the Match for the Hammers on Saturday, scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Arsenal. He turns 20 tomorrow but has still not made his international intentions known, with both England and Ireland interested.
Speaking on Goals on Sunday, Antonio revealed that he had discussed the decision with Rice.
It is a difficult situation, I can't put myself in his shoes. I've spoken to him about it, he has got a bit of loyalty to Ireland. Obviously, he has played through the younger ranks, so he has got that bit of loyalty to them. But when England come knocking, it is hard to ignore.
Antonio said he believes Rice will start for either team.
'He reminds me of Kante and Makelele!' ?
Very high praise from @Michailantonio for @_DeclanRice, who adds that the midfielder is good enough to play for Ireland or England, no matter who he chooses. ??⚽???????
Watch Goals on Sunday live on Sky Sports PL now! #GoS pic.twitter.com/doIntmD83J
— Sky Sports GOS (@GoalsOnSunday) January 13, 2019
Rice recently explained that he will soon announce his decision: " There was so much going on earlier in the season but now most of that has been sorted, so I will make a decision soon."
