Declan Rice has taken to Twitter to send an emotional message to his departing West Ham United teammate Pablo Zabaleta.

West Ham have announced on their official website that Zabaleta will leave the club at the end of the month.

The former Manchester City defender is out of contract at the Hammers on June 30, and the right-back will not extended his current deal.

Rice, who can operate as a central defender or as a defensive midfielder, has sent a heartfelt message to the 35-year-old Argentine right-back on Twitter.

@pablo_zabaleta a honour to get to play with you, train with you & learn from from you over the past 3 years. Been a special character for our team & you will be missed massively. Thank you for everything that you done for me personally, it will never be forgotten. Top man❤️