Declan Rice is expected to be given the all-clear to play for West Ham this weekend following the international break.
Football Insider report that the West Ham midfielder will be fit to play against Everton on Saturday after Rice missed out on England’s 6-0 win over Bulgaria on Monday night due to a virus the youngster picked up in training.
Although the midfielder has again been one of West Ham’s most influential players this season, with stats from Transfermarkt showing that Rice has played every minute of Premier League football, the 20-year-old enforcer was criticised over the international break for his performance in England’s loss to the Czech Republic.
The Guardian gave Rice an overall rating of 5 out of 10 for his showing against the Czech Republic, with his slip for the equalising goal the main source of criticism for the Hammers star, as well as general complaints from England fans on social media against the West Ham midfielder.
Despite this poor performance for England that handed the Three Lions their first defeat in a qualifying game in over 10 years, Rice being fully fit for the game against Everton will be a welcome boost for West Ham.
The Toffees find themselves on a four-game losing streak in the Premier League, with manager Marco Silva seemingly likely to be the next English top-flight manager to face the chop should results not improve, and West Ham can take advantage of this poor run of form with a result at Goodison Park.
Three points will see West Ham climb to the Premier League top-four should other games go their way over the weekend, and the news of Rice being fully-fit in the XI will be a major boom to Manuel Pellegrini’s game plan for Saturday.
