Ronaldo would be Fab to talk to

DAVID MOYES is optimistic star duo Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek will recognise they owe West Ham big time when the summer window opens.

And the Hammers chief is banking on that debt of gratitude helping the high-flying East Londoners fend off inevitable interest in the pair from Europe’s elite.

Whether the Irons, who started the weekend fifth in the table and two points off the top four, need to be in the Champions League to keep Rice and Soucek is irrelevant, says Moyes.

As far as he is concerned, the fact that this time last year the England and Czech Republic midfielders were battling to beat the drop demonstrates how far they have come – courtesy of West Ham.

Ahead of their Easter Monday showdown at Wolves, the Scot was asked if he could expect to retain their services next term.

Moyes said: “We were just avoiding relegation last year when we signed Tomas. We brought him in to help us avoid relegation. And Declan Rice was playing in that relegation team.

“So, to suddenly turn around and say we need to make the Champions League to keep them…well, I think those boys would be saying a massive thank you to West Ham.

“For actually helping them get their careers back on track and putting them in the right direction. I don’t see making the Champions League has to be the reason we can keep them.

“The biggest thing any footballer wants to see is that the club is making progress and they are making progress.

“With Declan’s improvement, I’d hope he would look at it as part of the West Ham team – not because of him on his own.

“We’ve added other players around him to help him improve. We’ve given him a great platform to show exactly what he is.

“Let’s be fair, he’s still young, he’s still going to make mistakes but this season he’s been terrific.”

Rice, 22, won rave reviews for his displays with England last week while Soucek, 26, did likewise by blasting a hat-trick for the Czech Republic as they thrashed Luxembourg 6-2.

As for what happens when a massive offer does drop on the table at the London Stadium, Moyes simply warns that prospective buyers will have to break the bank to stand any chance.

He added: “Any clubs can make offers but we’ve not had any big offers.

“If it takes the Bank of England and Royal Bank of Scotland to get Declan, it will have to be the Bank of Czech as well for Tomas!”

FABIO SILVA is a fully paid-up member of the Cristiano Ronaldo fan club – but what he really wants from the superstar is a five-minute chat. Wolves’ teenage striker has a signed shirt from every single one of the legendary forward’s clubs.

He has brushed shoulders with the veteran on international duty with Portugal but would really like some advice. “I haven’t played with Cristiano – or even had a conversation with him.

“But some of my colleagues at Porto played with him for Portugal and when I was training with the youth team, he’d wave at us.He said: “I’ve got shirts from every club he’s been at but what I’d really like is to have a five-minute chat for some advice.” Silva (below) arrived at Molineux with a lofty price tag but has struggled to nail down a role in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

He has only just celebrated his 18th birthday and is adapting to life in a new country and said: “You need time to adapt. “But we have a lot of Portuguese at Wolves and that’s made it easier for me.

“I did think that the people here would be colder. “But the climate here is cold, the people aren’t.”