Tomas Soucek’s teammate is up for the Premier League’s best young player award

West Ham United teammate Declan Rice has been nominated for the Hublot Young Player of the Season 2021/22, the award for the league’s best player under 23.

Along with the WHU midfielder, other midfielders in the running for the award are Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe, Crystal Palace’s Conor Gallagher, Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey and Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis.

Declan Rice is no longer considered just a defensive specialist. He is becoming a versatile all-rounder. He has 1 goal and 4 assists so far this season. But what are the numbers he’s putting up in the Premier League?

WHU coach David Moyes may not be keen on long ball possession, but Declan Rice’s improvement in this activity has helped improve the numbers of the whole team. WHU has an average possession rate of 47% this season , a four per cent increase on last season.

The England international is full of confidence. He also issues more forward passes than before and brings attacking teammates into play as often as possible. He dominates the Premier League in the number of balls taken and blocked.

Despite adding more variety to his game, Rice is still one of the most capable defensive players in the league. Along with Tommy Soucek, this makes him an impenetrable duo in front of West Ham’s defensive back four.

Source: Premier League