Declan Rice survives put-downs to reveal rich England promise

To understand how Declan Rice has turned himself into one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League you have to go back to a sunny afternoon at St James’s Park in August 2017 and one of those moments that could have inflicted lasting damage on a young player’s belief in his ability to rise to the top.

Before anyone gets the wrong impression, it is worth pointing out West Ham had plenty of time to bail out Rice after Matt Ritchie hassled him off the ball and launched the attack that led to Newcastle’s opening goal that day. Yet the move developed at pace, Joselu scored and the kid who was making his second league start had to shoulder the blame when West Ham traipsed into the dressing room 1-0 down at half-time.

Related: Manuel Pellegrini hails West Ham star Declan Rice as England’s best choice

Slaven Bilic had his fall guy and at that point no one could have imagined Rice would be on the verge of making his England debut less than two years later. Bilic took him off and trusted in the senior pros. Manuel Lanzini came on for the second half, Newcastle romped to a 3-0 win and the youth coaches at West Ham worried about Rice’s confidence dipping after his early substitution. They were unimpressed with Bilic for finding an easy target and concerned about the message it sent to other youngsters, especially as Rice had to wait three months for his next league start.

Bilic had made way for David Moyes by then and the change in management helped Rice, who returned for the trip to Manchester City on 3 December. He played on the right of a three-man defence and coped well with Sergio Agüero and Gabriel Jesus.

But it is unforgiving at the highest level and Moyes focused on the moment when Rice let Kevin De Bruyne’s cross reach David Silva for the winner. He saw flaws in the teenager’s positional sense and pointed out he could not let his concentration dip against Premier League attackers.

What encouraged Moyes, however, was Rice’s willingness to accept criticism, which is why he did not hesitate to dig him out in public after an awful error against Arsenal last April. Moyes was panned for his insensitivity but the harsh words worked. A month later Rice was starring against Everton and Manchester United, producing slide tackles in both games that must have reminded older West Ham fans of Bobby Moore.

The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email.

The hype machine whirred into gear and there was more uncertainty for Rice when he entered a contractual stand-off with West Ham last summer, which ended when he signed a five-and-a-half year deal at the end of 2018. The wrangle threatened to turn ugly at times but Rice kept his cool throughout and strengthened his negotiating position by doing his talking on the pitch.

Not that it has been entirely straightforward this season. Rice could have been forgiven for fearing Manuel Pellegrini, appointed after Moyes left the London Stadium last May, was another Bilic after being taken off at half-time during West Ham’s 4-0 defeat against Liverpool on the opening weekend.

First impressions were worrying. Pellegrini tried variations of Mark Noble, Jack Wilshere, Pedro Obiang and Carlos Sánchez in midfield for the rest of August and West Ham ended the month without a point from their first four games.

Declan Rice celebrates scoring West Ham’s first goal against Newcastle United in March with Robert Snodgrass and Mark Noble (left).Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters

Yet Rice has long been accustomed to proving people wrong. He was released by Chelsea when he was 14, much to the delight of Dave Hunt, the former head of recruitment at West Ham’s academy, and he has been a fixture in Pellegrini’s starting lineup since returning in the 3-1 win against Everton last September.

Enticed by his snappy and purposeful passing, excellent anticipation, cool interceptions and an unusual ability to come away with the ball under his control after going to ground to tackle an opponent, it is no wonder Gareth Southgate has gone to such great lengths to persuade the 20-year-old to switch his allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to England. Yet Rice’s rapid rise is about more than skill.

Related: Why societal change makes mockery of England’s dual nationality debate | Barney Ronay

West Ham once regarded Reece Oxford, who made his professional debut at the age of 16, as a more natural player than Rice. Yet it is about having the full package and Oxford, who is on loan at Augsburg until the end of the season, could learn from Rice’s attitude.

While Ireland fans may not have such a charitable view of Rice given how he ditched them after winning three caps last year, no one who knows him has anything negative to say. They speak of how he applies himself on and off the pitch and maximises every last drop of his ability.

Southgate will not be the only manager to be drawn in by such a rich mix of qualities. West Ham will not want to hear it but good judges already think Rice would flourish as a defensive midfielder in a Pep Guardiola team.

City could do with cover for the ageing Fernandinho and it would not be a surprise if they move for the player who has done a lot of growing up since that blunder against Newcastle.