Former Liverpool star Jason McAteer has stressed his view that West Ham United star Declan Rice is already thinking about leaving the club in the event of relegation and does not believe the midfielder is a special player.
Rice is one of the brightest young talents to come out of the West Ham academy and his potential has been talked up, amid speculation of a future big-money transfer.
Rice is expected to be key to West Ham's chances against Liverpool on Monday night, but McAteer thinks that the midfielder already has his eyes set on a possible escape route.
McAteer also admitted he does not believe Rice is as special a talent as he has been made out to be.
The former Liverpool midfielder feels Rice might even not roll his sleeves up in West Ham's battle against relegation due to his head having been turned.
Looking ahead to the West Ham clash, McAteer said on LFC TV after Liverpool's game against Atletico Madrid: “You know, Rice is that player who thinks 'if we go down, I'm going to move'.
“People just talk him up as being the next big thing and he's not, he's not.
“He's not this player that everyone thinks he is and he's thinking in his head if we go down then I'm going to move so do I need to roll my sleeves up?”
The 21-year-old midfielder has played each minute of West Ham’s 25 Premier League games, in a sign of how key he is for the Hammers.
