‘A lot more to show’: David Moyes expects West Ham 22-year-old to step up again this season

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West Ham manager David Moyes claims that key player Declan Rice is going to step up his levels once again in the new season.

Rice, 22, has developed into a key senior figure in the last few years at the London Stadium. It’s been a remarkable rise for him from the academy to the first team.

The defensive midfielder is one of the first names on the Hammers team sheet when fit and has already made 145 Irons appearances in total. 

He’s been late back to pre-season due to his involvement at Euro 2020 in the summer. Despite a superb individual tournament, his England side were beaten by Italy on penalties in the final.

West Ham boss Moyes has made the bold claim in the build-up to the new 2021/22 campaign that Rice is going to continue improving.

“I think Declan can step up again, I feel he’s got a lot more to show so I’ll be pushing him on and driving him this season to do so,” Moyes said.

Rice is the crown jewel for Moyes

If Rice continues at this current rate, he could be in the conversation for one of the best midfielders around.

For now, he’s a superb young player that ranks alongside some of the top defensive midfielders shining in the Premier League. 

West Ham fans will be looking forward to watching his midfield partnership alongside Tomas Soucek in the flesh as the duo are formidable together.

It won’t be a surprise to see Rice keep getting better. For instance, he must be ready to play with such confidence after the summer.

However, one dark cloud over him is that the small West Ham squad could come back to bite their key figures. Moyes may find it difficult rotating his team, something which would be advisable given the European and domestic fixtures. 

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