There may be a lot of uncertainty surrounding his international allegiance, but the club future of Declan Rice has been sorted for the foreseeable future.
Having started well this season, and gaining plaudits in the Hammers' 2-1 win over Southampton last night, Rice has signed a contract at Upton Park until 2024.
The youngster has appeared for the Republic of Ireland senior team in friendly matches, but recused himself from selection from recent competitive matches as he decides whether to declare for England or the Republic.
Rice also sees a bright future with the first team, in an interview with West Ham's official website:
“I’m absolutely delighted to have got the contract done, signed and to commit my future to the Club until 2024. I’m absolutely ecstatic”.
“Without a doubt, the plan was always to stay at West Ham. I’ve had the support from the fans, from the players and from the manager and now, to get it done and commit myself to [West Ham] is a very special moment and I’m over the moon.
“I’ve now played 50 games for the first team and I’m progressing week-in, week-out, learning from a top manager and top players. I’m still young, so to put more years on my contract and keep developing here is the best thing for me to do now. With the support of the manager, the players, everyone, it was the right thing to do.”
“Without a doubt, you’ve seen now the way we’ve played after the first four games, that’s what we’ve got to be aiming for, for those European spots. With the players we’ve got out injured to come back in, we’ve definitely got to be aiming high.
“We’ve got 60,000 fans now, with that being increased, we’ve got a top manager who has won a Premier League title and quality players in the squad, so there is no reason why we can’t be competing at the top, for sure.”
The debate around international allegiance continues to rage, but Ireland fans will see the team improve if Rice's future is in a green jersey.
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