West Ham midfielder Declan Rice says his England colleague Conor Coady is a player who has made him “step back” and put his recent promotion into perspective.
Rice made his Premier League debut on the final day of the 2016/17 season and has had a fantastic journey ever since. The 22-year-old has racked up 128 top flight appearances, while captaining the Hammers on several occasions. In addition, he has played every minute of the competition in the last two seasons.
However, his exhibits for West Ham they have also seen him become a key cog in the England team.
Gareth Southgate gave the midfielder his debut in March 2019 and has since won nine more international matches.
Regardless of her own journey, though, Rice is aware that the Three Lions camp is full of players who have winners’ medals to really seal their credentials.
Wolves captain Coady is among them, after he led the Wolves to a championship as champions in 2017/18. As such, Rice says he has been eager to learn from the central defender in England’s last camp.
“I’m only 22,” the midfielder told Football Focus (via the Evening Standard).
“I come here and I’m playing with people who have played the Champions League final, won trophies, won Premier League titles, like you take a step back and collect different little things from different people.
“Conor, I’ve never been in a dressing room with him. So, to see him and see the impact he has on the squad inside the team, it’s people like him that you need in your dressing room.
“Things like that I have taken away and tried to bring them to West Ham to add to my game as well.”
Besides being a great defender, Coady boasts a reliable streak similar to Rice. The 28-year-old missed his first league game, in both the Premier League and the Championship, in more than three seasons earlier this season.
Rice is not the only protagonist of West Ham
Meanwhile, Jesse Lingard is another West Ham star who is proving his worth.
The midfielder, on loan from Manchester United, has regained his place with England after the club’s lack of minutes since the 2018 World Cup.
In fact, he has revealed that getting back among his high-level international colleagues is a goal he has written on a blackboard in his quest to succeed in East London.
READ MORE: Lingard reveals list of ‘goals’ he has written on board for West Ham loan
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