Declan Rice
Former West Ham coach Stuart Pearce has revealed what he told attacker Jarrod Bowen on his final day at the club.
Stuart Pearce said: “I’m really proud to be honest with you, it’s probably the one word I’d use. On my last day, at the Brighton game, I said to him ‘nothing would give me more pleasure. It’s been brilliant working with you and nothing would give me more pleasure than if you’re picked for England this time round. [He’s a] smashing kid as well. A really, really nice, humble young man. He’s got the ability with both feet. He can score with both feet, he can score with his head. I think there’s more to come from him. I think that’s probably the biggest compliment I can pay him. I don’t think he’s anywhere near the completed article at the moment.”
Pearce also gave his opinion on international allegiances, suggesting it’s not right that players are allowed to change who they represent on the international stage having already played for a different country. High-profile examples in the past include West Ham’s Declan Rice and Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, who both featured for the Republic of Ireland before switching to England. In the case of Rice, he made three senior appearances for the country where his grandparents were born before pledging his allegiance to England in February 2019.
Stuart Pearce said: “One thing I disagree with and I think a ruling should be made is as soon as you wear a national shirt for a country, especially in the UK, you cannot change your allegiances and go and play fr something else. It’s not a statement about Declan, that was the rule at the time. When we played a tournament against Germany in the Under-21s, their left-back turned up playing for Canada a month later. For me, I think it’s wrong. If you decide to put on a national shirt at any age group, you shouldn’t be allowed to chop and change and play for another nation.”
