West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has lavished praise on Declan Rice after his goalscoring display against Newcastle United.
The defensive midfielder scored in a 2-0 win for the Hammers and he put in a complete performance for the home side.
Pellegrini believes that Rice has improved a lot this season and that is because of the work he put in behind the scenes.
He also tipped the midfielder to be a captain of the club one day.
Speaking to the Independent, Pellegrini said: “I think that for every player it is important to score goals, but in Declan’s position that is not the most important thing. I think he has improved a lot this season. If you compare from the beginning and now, the view he has of the pitch, his deep passes, not playing back or to the sides. Those are the things he must work on every day of the week. He does it, and that is why he has improved so much. Is he a future captain? Maybe. He is a young player, he must learn a lot, to keep him in this level. To be a captain you need many games behind you, so in the future, maybe he will do it.”
Declan Rice has been in fantastic form this season and he will only get better with experience and time.
The youngster will be looking to build on his current form and help his side finish in the top eight this season.
Rice will also be hoping to add more goals to his game going forward. Although, Pellegrini believes that for a player in his position, goals are not that important.
West Ham have shown improvement in the recent weeks and with the likes of Lanzini back in action, they can really step it up in the remaining games.
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