Rice plays waiting game on international future
Declan Rice has denied he is any closer to deciding which country he wants to commit to and is resisting the offer to meet the new manager of the Republic of Ireland, Mick Mccarthy.
Rice delivered another composed performance sitting in front of the defence as West Ham romped to a comfortable win and is growing into a key player for the club.
But wherever the teenager goes he is asked the same questions, with a new contract still unsigned despite months of negotiating and his international future unresolved almost five months after he first asked to be left out of Ireland’s squad after an approach by England manager Gareth Southgate.
“Mick has spoken to my dad and he wants to meet me and my dad, which I said was fine,” Rice said. “I haven’t spoken to Mick myself yet, but my dad has. There is no date planned yet. There are a lot of things going on with my football at the moment. I’m playing here week in, week out, and obviously there’s my contract situation, which is a lot to take on at a young age.”
West Ham defender Pablo Zabaleta said: “It’s a massive win for us. “We’ve talked about improving defensively and being more solid at the back, and I thought we did that.”
It was a grim end to Newcastle’s three-match winning run. Manager Rafael Benitez said: “Keep calm and carry on. It is just one game.”