Is it Jack Grealish all over again?
19-year-old midfield Declan Rice has been left out of Martin O’Neill’s latest Ireland squad, with O’Neill confirming that the West Ham man is considering playing for England instead.
Rice was the subject of a lot of hype after he made three appearances in friendlies for Ireland, but he is yet to play a competitive match. As such, he is eligible to declare for England, the country of his birth.
He is eligible to play for Ireland through his grandparents from Cork.
Earlier on Monday, Kevin Kilbane had his say about Rice on Twitter, writing: “I’d rather be ranked 150th in the world and never qualify again than have someone who has played, but needs time to THINK whether they should play for us again. Well done to MON for transparency.”
Now, current Ireland winger James McClean has given his two cents on the matter, in reply to Kilbane. It seems like McClean is very much of the same opinion: “Bang on lad.. representing your country should be an honour and a proud moment.”
https://twitter.com/JamesMcC_14/status/1034185397180542977
Does this spell the end of Rice’s time as an Ireland player? That remains to be seen.
