Another day, another take on Declan Rice’s decision to play for England. This time Rice’s club manager Manuel Pellegrini has thrown his two cents in on the West Ham youngsters’ decision to declare for England, having represented the Republic of Ireland three times at senior level.
Asked about Rice’s decision in his press conference ahead of his side’s Premier League game against Fulham on Friday night, Pellegrini stated;
It was a massive decision. I spoke with him and he spoke with a lot of important people in his life and I know Declan Rice and, if he wants to play for England, it means his heart is more in playing for England than for Ireland because he is from here.
It’s no surprise to hear that Rice consulted with Pellegrini about his decision. The veteran Chilean manager has entrusted Rice with a regular starting role in his West Ham side this season, which has seen the London born player develop far quicker than even he could’ve imagined.
England manager Gareth Southgate is eager to include Rice in his squad for their opening round of qualification games for Euro 2020, however, the newly declared England player won’t be included in any squad until his international status has been fully cleared by FIFA, a process which could take months to complete.
