Jack Wilshere has said that such is Declan Rice's talent, the West Ham midfielder could make it to the very top of the world game and would look at home alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
The former West Ham midfielder played with Rice for two seasons during his spell at the club and has been a constant fan of the young Englishman's talent.
Following his fine start to the season Wilshere has described Rice as a 'freak' for his physical attributes and praised his technical gifts and two footedness.
Wilshere is such a strong admirer of Rice he believes the midfielder would look comfortable alongside the likes of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe in the Paris Saint-Germain team
"The thing with Dec is he can cover the ground in midfield," Wilshere told talkSPORT. "So you think about the top teams in Europe with the front three that do what they want. So let’s say PSG – Neymar, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe.
"They can do what they want up there and Dec will cover them from behind. So I could imagine him in a team like that. It’s a big shout, I know, but I think he’s got the ability and the temperament to go that far."
Wilshere has likened Rice to current club captain Mark Noble but unlike the skipper he does not see Rice staying with the club his entire career with the lure of Champions League football likely to see him depart the London Stadium.
"'Mr West Ham' Mark Noble is leaving, this is his last year – Dec is the next sort of 'Mr West Ham', isn’t he?" Wilshere added.
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"West Ham fans will be desperate to keep hold of him. I've got friends who are West Ham fans and they worship him, they can't think about him leaving.
"They're [the club] doing everything they can to keep him because they're in Europe now. They probably need to make that next step into the Champions League which will be difficult, especially when they’ve got so many games with the Europa League this year.
"But apart from that I don’t see him- I mean, he’ll wanna go on and challenge for the Premier League."
