PEL UNSURE OVER A RICE TAKEAWAY
MANUEL PELLEGRINI gave no assurances that West Ham will hang on to rising England star Declan Rice this summer.
The Hammers signed off with a third consecutive win and a top-10 finish, but Rice (above), who signed a five-year contract this year, remains a target for Europe’s richest clubs.
And boss Pellegrini admitted: “It’s impossible, I cannot know the future. He is of course a player who has had a brilliant season, who is 20 years old and an English player who has a lot of qualities.
“Maybe some of the big teams or all of them will want him. But that is one thing – the other is whether he will stay here or he goes and I cannot say at this moment.”
The Irons leapfrogged Watford in the table and Pellegrini said: “It’s not a bad position to finish.”
He also praised Mark Noble, who completed an outstanding season.
Pellegrini said: “Mark reflects what this club is. He was playing when he was a boy, he has had 15 seasons in a row playing most of the games and it was very good for him to score two goals today.
“He’s always talking with young players, with players who arrive here – he’s not only a good player, but he’s also the leader and that’s so important.”
And he was happy that his team ended the season so strongly, adding: “I’m pleased because we won the last three games – Spurs away, which was important for our fans – we finished with a win at home and now we’ve done it away.”
Deulofeu Noble Lanzini Arnautovic