Rice has signed a new contract with West Ham but is yet to decide where his international future lies ARFA GRIFFITHS/WEST HAM UNITED VIA GETTY IMAGESMick McCarthy, the Ireland manager, is hoping that his offer to play Declan Rice in his preferred position of midfield discourages him from defecting to England. Speaking last night at the Soccer Writers’ Association of Ireland (SWAI) awards, McCarthy revealed that he had spoken to England counterpart Gareth Southgate about the tug-of-war over the West Ham United star. The versatile player, who turns 20 on Monday, has said he favours operating in midfield, where he is excelling in the Premier League. According to McCarthy, Southgate has designs on using the Londoner as a central defender, were he to accept an offer to switch allegiance. Rice admitted earlier this week that a decision on his international future would be made “soon”.

Source: The Times January 12, 2019 00:01 UTC