Declan Rice has been named in England’s squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Montenegro after switching allegiance from the Republic of Ireland.
“His form warrants it,” Gareth Southgate said of the 20-year-old, who recently pledged his allegiance to England, “It’s been a well-publicised situation with Declan. We’ve tracked him for quite a while … His form has been excellent.”
The England manager also talked up Rice's versatility, highlighting that it could be a useful asset for England going forward, “We like what we've seen in terms of his personality, his character and his leadership qualities. He'll fit very well into how we work. There aren’t many players of his age playing as well as he is in the Premier League.”
https://twitter.com/England/status/1105830874799529986
Rice was the only debutant in the latest England squad, which also features Jadon Sancho, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Check out the full squad list above.
In other England news, Nike have unveiled the first-ever bespoke England Women’s World Cup kits.