3 West Ham stars Leicester must stop in relegation scrap

Leicester City cannot allow Declan Rice to dictate

West Ham’s best player for the last four years, their academy graduate is warming up for what is surely his penultimate game for the club. The midfielder has, once again, been the key to how David Moyes’ side plays, recently winning the Hammer of the Year for the third time in four seasons.

Capable of the spectacular, Rice finds equal joy in defence and attack, but can be deadly at set-pieces – Leicester’s kryptonite for the last few seasons. Whilst his numbers are nothing to shout about this season (four goals and two assists in 36 Premier League games), Rice’s game isn’t defined by statistics, instead by his overall performance on the pitch.

Having already amassed 243 appearances for the Hammers at only 24, it’s clear just how important Rice is to this squad. The beating heart of the midfield – taking over from Mark Noble – the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Boubakary Soumare must get in to Rice if they are to dictate the midfield.

Having already earnt 41 England caps, as well as three caps for Ireland, Rice is a guaranteed starter for the Three Lions and will use all of his experience against Leicester, so they cannot let him grow into the game. Frustrate Rice enough and you can disrupt and stop the entire engine of United.