Declan Rice ‘can’t wait’ to take on Manchester United at London Stadium on Saturday.
The impressive youngster made his full West Ham United debut against the Red Devils in a disappointing 4-0 Premier League defeat on the opening day of last season.
Thirteen months and 36 first-team appearances later and, after having the better of a goalless draw with Chelsea and thrashing Macclesfield Town in the Carabao Cup, Rice is hoping for a different result this time around.
We’ll be going at it right from the start on Saturday against Manchester United
Declan Rice
“It’s a massive game,” the No41 confirmed. “We were so unlucky not to get the three points on Sunday against Chelsea so we’ll be going at it right from the start on Saturday against Manchester United. I can’t wait for that one!”
West Ham will welcome Jose Mourinho’s side, who were themselves dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Derby County in midweek, with confidence as high as it has been all season.
An 8-0 rout of Macclesfield not only saw the Hammers through to the fourth round, but also featured fine performances from Rice and his fellow Academy of Football graduates Grady Diangana, Conor Coventry and Joe Powell.
As the Academy’s current first-team flagbearer, alongside captain Mark Noble, the 19-year-old was delighted to see his long-time friends and teammates take their opportunities to shine.
“I thought it was a great performance. It finished 8-0 but it could have been even more. It was a professional performance from the boys and to have four Academy graduates on the pitch at the end meant it was a special night for the Academy.
“I thought they were excellent from the start, Grady from the start and Conor and Powelly when they came on. You’ve got to beat what’s in front of you and that’s what the boys did. I thought it was a strong performance.
“It’s a question of getting opportunities and, with Felipe Anderson not in the squad, Grady took his chance and that’s got to be the thing every time you come and play for the first team. You’ve got to take your chance and catch the manager’s eye.”
While they may not be involved in Saturday’s Premier League fixture, Diangana, Coventry and Powell will have a keen interest in the Carabao Cup fourth-round draw, which will take place live on Quest at 9pm that evening.
Rice, too, is eager to find out who the Hammers will face, with the east Londoners desperate to reach their first major domestic cup final in 12 years.
“The manager has said we are taking the Carabao Cup very seriously. It’s a great competition and the final is at Wembley. We’re now two games from the semi-final so we’ll see who we get in the draw and go again in the next round.”