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da pinnacle： A number of former international players and now pundits have been debating Declan Rice’s decision to switch his allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to England, with John O’Shea one who has expressed his concern at the move.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the London-born midfielder appeared three times for Ireland before announcing earlier this month that he had chosen to represent the country of his birthplace instead, which has created plenty of debate.
Lee Dixon, Chris Sutton and the Irons star’s ex-international teammate O’Shea were among the pundits having their say on BBC Radio 5 live’s Monday night club, with the latter praising the 20-year-old but also suggesting he could live to regret his decision.
The Reading defender said, via BBC Sport: “I saw him involved with the Ireland squad and he looked the real deal – then England came calling and his mind was changed.
“He’s a very good player – his temperament, attitude is top-class.
“At the minute, he looks like he could get into England squad and improve it, but that could change very quickly.
“You don’t know what is around the corner, injuries, form, other English players coming through and the competition he could face.”
Is he right?
Yes and no.
As things stand, England don’t have a plethora of defensively-minded central midfield players to choose from with Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson perhaps most suited to the role right now, and therefore there is plenty of scope for Rice to be involved in the squad at the very least.
The West Ham star has been a shining light for his club this season and if he continues to put in the same level of performance on a consistent basis, then Gareth Southgate will be left with little option than to put him in or around the starting XI – something he won’t be complaining about.
That said, O’Shea is right when he says things can change quickly at international level with younger players emerging all of the time, but as long as the 20-year-old continues to do what he is doing and keeps his feet firmly on the ground, he won’t have anything to worry about.