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West Ham's Declan Rice reveals Chelsea legend John Terry as 'hero' growing up

Hammer time: Rice started West Ham's opener at Anfield: West Ham United via Getty Images
Hammer time: Rice started West Ham's opener at Anfield: West Ham United via Getty Images

West Ham defender Declan Rice has revealed he moulded his game on ‘hero’ John Terry after moving to centre-half.

The 19-year-old, who was dropped from the matchday squad for the Hammers’ second game of the season having started against Liverpool, was one of the silver linings in an otherwise desperate campaign at London Stadium last term.

He was named Young player of the Year and is now on the verge of a new deal in east London, where he arrived from the Chelsea academy in 2014.

“John Terry was probably my next hero,” said Rice, having already named Joe Cole as an icon of his.

“Just watching him as a youngster, it probably started when I was about eleven or 12.

“I watched the way he played, his leadership skills, the way he handled himself and the way he gave 100 per cent to everything he did, and I aspired to be the same.

“When I moved from midfield to centre-back, I started watching more clips of him and he’s probably the biggest hero of mine and I definitely feel like I’ve taken parts of his game and tried to put them into mine.”

(AFP/Getty Images)
(AFP/Getty Images)

He continued: “He was a ball-playing centre-half, but he didn’t want to bring the ball out of defence that often.

“His overall game was outstanding. You couldn’t tell if he was left or right-footed and it made me want to be two-footed, which is so important in the game these days.

“His level of commitment, throwing his head in front of things, his communication and leadership skills were what I really liked about him. He left everything on the pitch.”