West Ham United manager David Moyes has said he is ready for a ‘big fight’ to keep captain Declan Rice at the club after recent comments suggested he wanted a move elsewhere in the future. While in a press conference at the World Cup in Qatar, Rice said that he was envious of his friends playing in the Champions League and wanted to do the same himself, one of the clearest indications from Rice yet that he could be eyeing a potential future move. Responding to those comments, Moyes said he wants West Ham to reach the Champions League and admits he is up for the challenge of trying to keep Rice at the club amid expected interest.
David Moyes said: “He wants to win and he wants to play for a really good side which is going to give him an opportunity to do so. We hope that we can reach the Champions League, it’s looking difficult at this moment in time but we’re not just going to roll over and let Dec walk out the building, that is for sure. It’s going to be a big fight and I like it because he wants to challenge himself and wants to play in the big games and he wants to be a top player. I don’t think you’re ever going to hold anybody back from those ambitions.”
Moyes also spoke about his returning captain, with Rice set to play for West Ham for the first time since November 12 on Boxing Day away at Arsenal. The Hammers boss thought Rice was as good as any other player at the tournament and feels that considering his age, he is excited to see the player Rice becomes when he reaches his peak years in seasons to come.
David Moyes said: “He played as well as anybody and he was exceptional I thought at the World Cup. For a younger player and someone who is still learning, you think the difference between now and how he is going to be in another four or five years, how he will mature, how he will improve as a player, how he will mature as a leader, all of those things is all to come and it’s all ahead of him.”.
