Rice serves up a tasty treat for O’Neill’s Ireland
Martin O’Neill hailed teenager Declan Rice after watching him turn in an assured display on his senior Republic of Ireland debut in Turkey.
The 19-year-old West Ham defender started at the back and later moved into midfield as Ireland lost 1-0 in Antalya last night, and he looked at home in both roles.
O’Neill said: “He did excellently. He’s played left-sided centre-half for West Ham, and I think he’s getting accustomed to a number of positions
“I had no hesitation in putting him into the middle of the field. It was a manof-the-match performance – he was excellent for us.
“Considering it’s his debut and he’s 19, it was an impressive performance from an impressive young man.”
Londoner Ricerelished his introduction to international football. He said: “I think there is something in me. I’m composed and I’m a calm player. You’re only out there for 90 minutes and you have to give it everything you’ve got. “I thought I did well for only being 19 years old. I was proud of myself and thought I performed well.” At times, Rice demonstrated an enterprise which O’Neill wants to see from his more experienced players as he re-shapes his squad for the challenges ahead. O’Neill said: “Declan Rice made one run there, a super run, things opened up and it’s great for the confidence to do that. That’s something I have been urging from the senior players.”
Rice was one of few players to shine in a team which also included fellow debutants Scott Hogan and Matt Doherty.
Ultimately, they succumbed to Turkey skipper Mehmet Topal’s 52nd-minute volley, although Hogan passed up a chance to give the visitors a first-half lead when he rounded keeper Volkan Babacan, but could not hit the target from a tight angle.
O’Neill said: “From our viewpoint, it was a good game to play in because Turkey demonstrated their ability on the ball. Overall, considering we had a system we haven’t really played together, I was pleased with a lot of what we did.
“But obviously there’s a lot still to work on.”