After making his breakthrough towards the end of the 2017/18 season, Declan Rice has kicked on in the current campaign. The 20-year-old has become one of the first names on the team sheet for the Hammers and is rightly receiving praise from across the game.
Former Chelsea man Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is the latest to join in with the praise for the West Ham academy product. Speaking on the Premier League show, the retired forward said he was impressed with the maturity of the youngster.
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“This boy has just caught my eye. He has played so maturely," he said.
"He is just 20 years old, but he is playing in a really important position and he does it really simply.
“He gets the ball and plays it really simple."
Much has been made of the PFA team of the year selection that was revealed on Thursday morning, with many pundits proposing their own alternative team.
Hasselbaink chose to include Rice in his selection, alongside Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Manchester City's Raheem Sterling. His full team can be found below.
Rice, who can be deployed in either the centre back or defensive midfield role, chose to represent England at international level earlier in the season. The youngster had previously played in two friendlies for the Republic of Ireland, but rules state that players can change their national representation if they have not played a competitive fixture.
He was selected in Gareth Southgate's latest England squad and made his Three Lions debut in a European qualifier against the Czech Republic in March.
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