Angelo Ogbonna has warned us all there is more to come from Declan Rice as the West Ham midfielder looks set to make his debut for England against Czech Republic on Friday night.
The 20-year-old midfielder has enjoyed a fantastic season in east London under the watchful eye of Manuel Pellegrini, who has hailed Rice as the best English player in the Premier League in his position.
Ogbonna has seen first hand the impact Rice has been having on the pitch this season from close quarters as he has filled in for the injured Fabian Balbuena for the last three months.
The Italian defender, overlooked by his country for their Euro 2020 qualifiers while Rice was called up for England for the first time, has expanded on why he is not surprised Rice has made the step up to international football already at such a young age.
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"I did expect it to happen so quickly," Ogbonna said.
"Dec has a lot of quality and I’m very, very happy for him. This is just the beginning for him and I wish him the best of luck.
"I’m not surprised to be fair because everybody can see his quality. He is a talented player, but first of all I think he is a humble player, a humble person, so he deserves this and I wish him the best of luck for everything. He has to keep his feet on the ground and continue in this way.
"He can read the game, he is very good on the ball, as a centre half he can keep the ball at his feet and he can give the team the balance. He has many qualities as a young player and he has to keep working and improving.
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"I think he has to work hard, like he has done all this time. He is a good talent and I think he’s ambitious as well, and that is very important at this level.
"With talent and quality, I think he can be successful for England."
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