Declan Rice’s road to recovery is underway as the West Ham midfielder took a selfie of himself in the gym on Thursday.
Rice, who had played every minute in the Premier League this season before the Hammers’ win over Wolves on Monday night, was injured in England last week and could be out for up to a month.
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Rice was left out for a month after injuring herself in England
The 22-year-old posted an update on Monday evening, writing that he will be back in no time “ alongside a thumbs-up photo.
He followed that up on Thursday with a photo of himself in the gym next to the caption: “Workinnn”.
Rice has arguably become West Ham’s most important player and has been around since the start of the 2019/20 season.
He has played a key role in West Ham’s incredible campaign so far, which has seen him place in the top four and advance to the Champions League.
@declanrice
It is not known how long Rice will be injured
The England midfielder is not short of admirers, however, and the Hammers are wary that a big club could come and call in this summer.
As a result, West Ham want to sign burgeoning lender Jesse Lingard on a permanent basis and according to The Athletic, United will explore a potential deal to sign Rice as part of any negotiations for the 28-year-old.
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Lingard plays a big role in West Ham’s push for a place in the top four
Chelsea have shown interest in Rice in the past, but it is believed to have cooled, former Blues boss Frank Lampard reportedly being the deciding factor in that decision.
Earlier this week, talkSPORT co-host Andy Goldstein said Lingard would be a bigger dud for the Hammers right now than Rice.
“I love Declan Rice, and if you pull him off the side, West Ham will be a lot weaker,” Goldstein said on Drive.
“But the way he’s playing right now, Lingard, I think it would be more of a bummer if he was out for the next couple than Rice.
“I know rice is irreplaceable, but Lingard gives them that comeback.”
