David Moyes has praised his former captain, Declan Rice, and expects him to be the future skipper of the England national team.
It was Moyes who gave the midfielder the armband while they were together at West Ham, and Rice went on to lift the Europa Conference League for the club.
Speaking on William Hill’s podcast, Up Front with Simon Jordan, the Scot explained why he made the Arsenal man his captain and why he'll eventually wear the armband for his country.
He said, “Declan Rice was very good at taking criticism on board. When I made him captain, I told him that he would have to take a few hits at times. He picked up a lot from Mark Noble who was one of the old school characters in the squad.
“Initially, it wasn’t in his psyche to be a leader, but he grew into it. He became more of a leader, and I think he’ll go on to be captain of England.”
Since his move across London, Rice has proved to be one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, and although Moyes thinks he was worth the £100 million Arsenal paid for him, he believes he still needs to improve to reach the level of Manchester City star Rodri.
“I think Declan Rice still has a lot to do to be at the level of Rodri,” added Moyes.
“Rodri is immense at the moment. I think Declan has the capabilities to get to that level and we mustn’t forget that he’s still youthful. He grew into his leadership role at West Ham. I used to have a go at him and bait him; he didn’t like it, but I think it helped me get a bit extra out of him.
“A lot of people thought he wouldn’t be worth the £100 million that Arsenal bought him for, but I actually thought – and people laughed at me for it – that he was worth £150 million. When you look at other players who’ve joined Premier League teams for similar fees, I think he has been worth above that.”
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