West Ham United star Declan Rice needs ‘more help’ in the Irons side and could be tempted to leave the club if things do now improve, according to pundit Darren Bent.
The Hammers started the new Premier League season with a turgid outing on Saturday night, losing 2-0 at home to Newcastle United and looking out of sorts.
Rice has emerged from the West Ham youth academy to become an England international and is one of the club’s most prized assets.
As such, speculation over his future continues, with the Hammers’ bad start to the season compounding matters.
Bent has admitted that West Ham need to consider Rice’s situation and offer the star more incentive to stay at the London Stadium.
“We know Declan Rice is a top player that is going to go on to achieve great things,” he told Football Insider.
“Yesterday was not one of his better games but he will be looking around saying that he needs more help. When you have outgrown a club a player starts to think, ‘Come on. I need more than this.’
“Declan Rice will give 100 per cent every single game but for his own development I would love to see Declan Rice go onto the next level. That is when we will see the very best of him.
“Unfortunately, right now, and it is sad to say it but West Ham look like a sinking ship.”
West Ham fans were furious when the club opted to sell rising talent Grady Diangana to West Bromwich Albion, with the East London outfit’s hierarchy cashing-in on a gifted youth-team product.
Any decision to do similar with Rice, with plenty of suitors around, would surely cause a revolt in the Hammers supporters base, who are already disillusioned with the club’s current ownership.
West Ham are back in Premier League action next weekend with an away day across London at Arsenal.