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‘Sky is the limit for the lad’: Joe Cole says West Ham ace is now developing like Steven Gerrard
Joe Cole has claimed that West Ham United and England star Declan Rice is developing in the same way that Steven Gerrard did all those years ago.
The 22-year-old has been incredible for the Irons over the last few years. He has made a fantastic name for himself at domestic and international level, and he is undoubtedly among the best midfielders in the country at the moment.
Glenn Hoddle recently spoke on and labelled Rice as the best player in the Premier League. That shocked a few football fans, but Cole has now backed that claim.
The 40-year-old, who played over 100 games for West Ham, even likened the young Irons midfielder to Liverpool legend and new Aston Villa boss Gerrard.
Joe Cole: Declan Rice is developing like Steven Gerrard
He said on today: “If Glenn said [Rice is the best player in the league], then it’s true.
“I’ve watched Declan develop over the years. He’s a little bit like – and I don’t want to put this kind of pressure on him – but he’s a little bit like how Stevie G developed at Liverpool, where he just kept adding things to his game and adding things, and adding things.
“Declan’s added goals to his game now with breaking from midfield with that power, and he’s hitting the target and scoring goals. The sky is the limit for the lad – he really is a top, top player.”
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Rice is already one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. An argument can even be made to say that he’s better than everyone else in the country, which shows just how good he is.
The scary thing for rivals is that the Englishman is still only 22. He has about a decade left at the top level and if he keeps improving at the same rate, there’s no reason why he can’t reach the heights that Gerrard did in his prime.
It will be interesting to see how long West Ham can retain his services. All the top clubs in the country would love to take him now, and that interest will only grow stronger if he keeps performing.
However, West Ham are not a bottom-half side anymore. The Irons have Champions League ambitions now and if they can achieve that, the chances of keeping hold of Rice will increase considerably.
