Southgate reserves place for Rice
GARETH SOUTHGATE will fasttrack Declan Rice straight into his Three Lions set-up after the West Ham midfielder pledged his allegiance to England. The 20-year-old spoke to Republic of Ireland boss Mick McCarthy and England manager Southgate yesterday to inform them of his decision and end the speculation which kicked off last August. Rice’s defection left former Irish international Gary Breen feeling ‘hoodwinked’ and also critical of Rice’s statement in which he said he was ‘a proud Englishman’. ‘When’s this suddenly come about? The last couple of months? You (Rice) didn’t seem to be a proud Englishman when you were singing the national anthem,’ observed Breen. In asking FIFA to transfer his international allegiance to England from Ireland, Rice said the decision ‘was not one
I ever expected to be making at this stage of my career.’ Breen countered, ‘What do you (Rice) mean? Did you not think that you would come under the radar of the English squad? ‘As a result, if you didn’t believe that, it’s, “Oh, I’ll take Ireland as the next best option”. ‘When he (Rice) first came and trained with the senior team down in Cork, I listened to how eloquent he was and how much he made me believe it meant to play for Ireland. ‘My feeling is towards being hoodwinked a little bit.’ Like Rice, Breen is Londonborn, a fellow centre-half, who also qualified for Ireland through his grandparents. Breen is adamant ‘the green jersey should never be auditioned’ and felt Rice’s presence in ‘our under-age groups’ was ‘a mockery’. Rice, who made three senior appearances for Ireland last year, spoke of his ‘equal respect and love’ for both England and Ireland. ‘Ultimately, it is a personal decision that I have made with my heart and my head, based on what I believe is best for my future,’ he said. A written request has been submitted to FIFA to change Rice’s registration, with the switch certain to be granted. It will not come through in time for England’s Euro 2020