England international midfielder and West Ham United FC star Declan Rice has risen through the Premier League ranks to develop into one of the best in the business in the center of the park across six seasons at the London Stadium.
Largely expected to make a big-money move away from David Moyes’ Hammers in the upcoming summer window with both Arsenal and Chelsea circling, the 24-year-old London native is at the right moment in his career to embark on the next big step of his career.
But according to former Manchester United captain and iconic Red Devils figure Roy Keane, the hype surrounding Rice is hardly justified.
Roy Keane on Declan Rice:
🗣️ “I don’t think he’s been great this season. There’s a lot of good PR coming out from West Ham about his price. He doesn’t score enough and he doesn’t assist enough. I know, I played that position. He needs to do a lot more.” pic.twitter.com/HB7U4OwbVS
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) March 1, 2023
“I don’t think he’s been great this season,” Keane stated. “There’s a lot of good PR coming out from West Ham about his price. He doesn’t score enough and he doesn’t assist enough. I know, I played that position. He needs to do a lot more.”
Indeed, Rice is hardly a factory for goals or assists in the heart of the Hammers engine room. To date, the England international has found the back of the net on just twelve occasions in 225 appearances across all competitions. Eight of those goals have come in 191 league outings, with Rice never scoring more than twice in any season since his first full season in 2017-18.
While there is certainly scope to suggest that Rice’s role under Moyes does not require him to be a regular source of goals, the possible fee of £80m and up that he is almost certain to command given current market trends is enough evidence for Keane to suggest he is not worth the possible price tag that West Ham will look to set.
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