Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy believes Declan Rice chose to represent England as a result of their 2018 World Cup campaign.
The West Ham United midfielder made three friendly appearances for Ireland but was able to switch allegiances to his native England, confirming his decision in February.
Why did Declan Rice choose England? Five key things to know…
- The West Ham midfielder was born and raised in London but had Irish grandparents.
- He played his international youth career with Republic of Ireland plus three caps for the senior side.
- He met with Mick McCarthy in December but chose not to declare for Ireland at this point.
- In February the West Ham player made the decision to play for England.
- Mick McCarthy thinks England’s recent World Cup success played a big part in the midfielder’s thought process after the player said ‘I wanted to win things.’
Despite being born and raised in Kingston in London, Declan Rice had always played his international football with the Republic of Ireland at youth level. His grandparents were from Douglas, County Cork.
And McCarthy has revealed though that he felt Rice would declare for his country of birth, he had hoped to change his mind.
“I didn’t think for one minute he was going to join us,” McCarthy told reporters.
“I was hopeful. Was I optimistic? No.
“If he wanted to stay, all he had to say was ‘yes it’s no problem’. The longer it went on I was confident in my own head that he wasn’t coming.”
Rice has enjoyed a growing reputation, putting in some impressive performances for West Ham in the Premier League. The 20-year-old has already made over 50 senior appearances for the Hammers scoring once in 24 matches this season.
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And, continuing on the midfielder switching allegiances, McCarthy admitted the only reason Rice gave him for the decision to transfer his international allegiance was that he ‘wanted to win things’.
“And when you look at the great World Cup England had last year, can you blame him for that,” added McCarthy.
The former Wolves and Ipswich boss never mentioned any other reason behind the midfielder’s decision such as better wages or increased transfer value.
“That was all bandied about at the time. But Declan never said it to me. And now I want to stop talking about the chap because he’s not my player now.”
Can Declan Rice be a key man for England?
England may have a squad full of talent but in Declan Rice, they perhaps have something different.
Whisper it, but it's quite an exciting time for English football.@JakeEntwistle dove head-first into the national pool and made nine *unique* line-ups using players aged 25-and-under.
And there are plenty of players who didn't make it… pic.twitter.com/TmXDo96c01
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 26, 2019
With Gareth Southgate now opting for a three-man midfield, the Three Lions are in serious need for a solid defensive midfielder in the years to come.
This was missing at the World Cup as England were overrun in midfield by their better opponents, especially in the semi-finals against Croatia.
If Rice can replicate his West Ham performances for the Three Lions, then who knows how far they can go over the next four to six years. Gareth Southgate certainly has plenty of great options to consider.
The post Mick McCarthy explains why Declan Rice snubbed Ireland appeared first on Squawka News.
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