One hopes Declan Rice is avoiding any and all forms of media for the next while, until he makes a decision on his international future.
The West Ham star is currently deliberating whether to declare his intentions to play for England or continue on with his international career with Ireland, and add to the three caps he has already won.
Rice was man-of-the-match for Ireland in two of his first three games and is looked upon as a quality option for years to come. That may ultimately prove the cause but there is understandable trepidation on these shores after Martin O’Neill left him out of his squad for the upcoming games against Wales and Poland.
Rice was born and raised in London but has strong connections to Ireland and, before his senior debut, came through the underage ranks.
It is worth considering that the 19-year-old, who switched agents over the summer, is contemplating a switch to the country of his birth, in part, because it will raise his profile and could lead to a salary bump. It was reported, earlier this year, that Rice had rejected a weekly salary offer of £15,000 from West Ham and was looking for closer to £30,000.
The likes of Carl Jenkinson (1 cap) and Michael Keane (4 caps) were both eligible to play for Ireland but opted to declare their interests for England. Not many would have picked Harry Maguire, Jordan Pickford and Kieran Trippier as starters in an England World Cup team back in July 2017 but, one year on, all three were featuring prominently in Russia.
If Rice follows the path envisioned for him by West Ham chairman David Gold, he should be set for life:
My hope all a long has been that Declan first becomes an England player and then follows in the footsteps of the great Bobby Moore by becoming the captain of England.
Born in England made in West Ham United. dg https://t.co/Yx8auOlcSF
— David Gold (@davidgold) August 27, 2018
On Monday, when announcing that Rice would not be in his immediate plans, Martin O’Neill commented:
“He is taking time to make his mind up. He has done brilliantly for us. I’m giving him a little bit of time.”
One hopes that, once the initial furore dies down, that Rice will get the time and space to make a call on his future. At 19, it’s a big call for the lad and one that could have massive consequences on his footballing and personal life.
It is unfortunate, then, to see Rice getting so much pathetic abuse on social media and in forums. The words ‘traitor’, ‘greedy’, ‘scum’, ‘shit’, ‘fuck off’, ‘shameless’ and ‘turncoat’ have flooded across platforms online and Rice’s latest move on Twitter is regrettable to see.
For a player who has been so forthright, open and accessible on social media for the past couple of seasons to now switched his profile to a private, protected one is unfortunate. Hopefully it was not the steady stream of abuse, mentions and @ insults that drove him to the decision.
Leave the guy off and, like Jack Grealish and others that went before him, let him make his choice instead of making it for him.
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