West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini has heaped praise on midfielder Declan Rice.

The young defensive midfielder has been in fantastic form this season and the Chilean believes that he is the best English holding midfielder right now.

Pellegrini also drew comparisons with the former Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano.

The Chilean has worked with Mascherano before and he believes that Rice has a similar mentality.

He said to BBC: “I started with Mascherano when he was 17 and he was similar to Declan in his mentality. The mentality when they are 17 or 19… it seemed they had the mentality of a 35-year-old. Declan knows that he is just starting, and that is important.”

Recently, the West Ham midfielder switched his allegiance to England and the move has delighted the Three Lions faithful.

Gareth Southgate’s side are crying out for a defensive midfielder and Rice could fix a major problem for him.

The youngster has been one of the best players for his club this season as well and he will be looking to build on his current form and finish the season strongly.

Rice will be delighted with these comments from his manager but he will know that he has to improve a lot in order to fulfil his potential.

The West Ham midfielder is a mercurial talent and he is destined to be a star for club and country in the foreseeable future.