HOW THE RICE SAGA UNFOLDED
May 2017: Having first played for Ireland at U-16, Declan Rice makes his Premier League debut and is immediately invited into a senior Ireland squad for a training camp in Fota Island (right).
September 2017: Rice becomes a leading light at U-21 level while Martin O’Neill’s senior Ireland squad enter the final stretch of World Cup qualification. He breaks into the West Ham side and begins to play regularly. January 2018: England manager Gareth Southgate confirms they are keeping tabs on the progress of Rice. March 2018: Rice makes senior debut in friendly with Turkey. “There’s no decision to be made. If I didn’t want to be playing for Ireland, I wouldn’t be here,” he said.
June 2018: Rice is Ireland’s best player in both of Ireland’s summer matches with France and the USA
(right). He describes speculation linking him with England as a “load of crap”.
August 2018: Rice asks to be left out of the squad for games with Wales and Poland after an approach from England during the summer months. It also emerges that he has changed agent. September 2018: O’Neill strongly denies reports that Rice was caught up in the summer row between Roy Keane and Harry Arter. “There’s not an ounce of truth in that,” he said.
October 2018: English reports claim that Rice has opted to declare for the country of his birth. This comes as a surprise to O’Neill who says the player’s father had suggested it was still in the balance. He adds that other members of Rice’s family had come back around to Ireland.
November 2018: In his final pre-match conference as Ireland boss, O’Neill takes issue with the suggestion that he should have played Rice in the World Cup qualifier with Moldova a year earlier to tie him down. He says that would have prompted the player to make an earlier decision.
New Irish boss Mick McCarthy says meeting Rice is his priority. December 2018:
After a positive meeting, there is strong belief in FAI circles that Rice will stick with Ireland.
McCarthy says he viewed Rice as a future Irish captain. The player signs a new West Ham contract. January 2019:
The FAI send birthday wishes to ‘Ireland international’ Declan Rice on January 14. January 2019: McCarthy reveals he had spoken with Gareth Southgate about Rice, with the English boss indicating that he saw the rising star as a centre-half in the long term. February 2019: Rice declares for England.