I watched England’s two recent games and particularly the 4-0 win against Kosovo.
I thought Declan Rice played really well, but the criticism of him by Roy Keane did surprise me.
First of all, I found it a little strange that Roy, one of the best players I’ve ever seen and a former Republic of Ireland captain, was one of the pundits on an England game — but maybe he was on because he can be controversial and speaks his mind.
Roy worked with Declan when he was available for the Republic, so perhaps that had something to do with it.
Declan is a 20-year-old playing for England, but I suppose the more controversial you are on TV, the more air time you get.
I spoke to Declan afterwards and he already knew about the criticism.
What it does — and I speak from some experience — is chip away at your ‘innocence’, for want of a better word. It can make you withdrawn, wary and mistrusting of people.
It’s a real shame when it comes from a former fellow professional and I just wonder how Roy would have reacted if someone had said something similar about him when he was playing.
Declan has a fantastic career ahead of him. He will have more criticism as he progresses — everyone does — but he will cope with it, no problem.
