Jack Collison bigs up West Ham midfielder Declan Rice

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Jack Collison has singled out West Ham midfielder Declan Rice for praise and believes he’s continuing improve.

The 20-year-old has established himself as a key player in Manuel Pellegrini’s side this campaign and is always sat in front of the back four doing industrious work.

He’s earned his first two senior England caps already this campaign and is a real fan favourite at club level following his path from academy to senior star at the London Stadium.

Collison, who is an ex-West Ham player and now coach at the club, believes that Rice is an excellent example for academy players.

The no-nonsense enforcer has seized his opportunity in the first team and could have a brilliant career with the club in front of him.

“He’s been fantastic hasn’t he? He really is the flag bearer for the academy at the moment,” Collison told talkSPORT.

“It’s great for us as a club to have some one like Declan, so fresh out of the under-23s, fresh into the first team who is going from strength to strength.

“He’s a fantastic young player and one thing that is obvious is his leadership qualities. The way he conducts the game and the way he plays it is clear he has an old head on young shoulders.”

TBR’s View:

Rice really has got the tools to go right to the top and he’s taken everything in his stride so far since properly breaking into the senior set-up this campaign.

The defensive midfielder didn’t look phased when wearing an England shirt and demonstrated what he’s been doing for his club, which is breaking up play with interceptions and also showing composure on the ball.

West Ham fans should hope that they keep hold of their prized asset for long time, but right now he must surely be worth a fortune in the current transfer market.