Declan Rice has revealed he would love to captain West Ham one day.
The midfielder has risen through the ranks at the Hammers’ academy after being released by Chelsea when he was 14.
Rice has gone on to cement a regular spot in the West Ham first team, while he has become a key part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad too.
The 21-year-old’s fine form has seen him linked with a number of clubs - such as Manchester United - but Rice has now revealed his current ambition is to captain West Ham one day.
“I had the honour of having the captain’s armband this season and it felt really special, but I felt the pressure of it,” said Rice.
In Pictures | Arsenal vs West Ham | 07/03/2020
“Leading the team out with the armband on was so, so special and something I’d never have dreamed of as a kid.
“One day, I’d love to be captain and that’s where I’ve got to set my standards at.
“I think I’m capable of doing that, so I just think I need to get more experience and improve my leadership abilities, but for sure I can see myself captaining [West Ham] one day.
“It’s a tough one because Nobes (current captain Mark Noble) has obviously done so well and you don’t know how long he’ll go on for!”
West Ham are currently 16th in the Premier League and out of the relegation places, but only by virtue of having a better goal difference than Bournemouth in 18th.
Next up the Hammers face a clash with Wolves at home on Sunday and Rice has told the squad they need to start picking up points.
“We’re not out of trouble at all,” he told Premier League Productions.
“We know that we’re down there and that’s the reality of it. We’ve got tough games, but those big games are the ones we tend to turn up in. That’s West Ham.
“We’ve beaten Manchester United and won at Chelsea this year, played well at Liverpool and Arsenal, and we’ll roll our sleeves up in our remaining nine games and say ‘let’s have it’.
“We’re confident that we can rise to the occasion and get out of it.”
