Manuel Pellegrini ‘cannot say’ if Declan Rice will stay at West Ham
Manuel Pellegrini has admitted that he is unsure whether Declan Rice’s future lies at West Ham or elsewhere.
Speculation has circled around the young midfielder after a breakout season that also saw him earn his first senior England caps.
Manchester United and Chelsea are among the big clubs to have been credited with an interest and Pellegrini was quizzed about what the future holds for the 20-year-old after the Hammers ended their season with a 4-1 win away to Watford.
“It's impossible, I cannot know the future,” Pellegrini said.
“He is, of course, a player who has had a brilliant season, who is 20 years old and an English player who has a lot of qualities.
“Maybe some of the big teams, or all of them, will want him. But that is one thing – the other is whether he will stay here or he goes, and I cannot say at this moment.”
Rice was Players’ Player of the Year and Young Hammer of the Year at the club’s end of season awards after impressing during 34 Premier League appearances this season.
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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.
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