Declan Rice picked up a lateral knee injury whilst away on international duty. The injury occurred near the end of England’s qualifying win against Poland at Wembley over the international break.
As a result of the injury, he has undergone a scan and assessment under the supervision of the club’s medical team, who will continually monitor the 22-year old’s progress. The general feeling is that he will be out for four to six weeks.
Rice missed his first minutes of league action in almost two years on Monday as West Ham ran out 3-2 winners over Wolves.
A Word From The Medical Staff
Head of Medical Services at West Ham, Richard Collinge, had this to say about the injury: “It was a rather innocuous challenge which has caused the injury but unfortunately these things happen in football… he’s in peak physical condition and we hope that will assist with his return to action. We started his rehabilitation immediately as we all target a full and speedy recovery.”
How Will This Impact West Ham’s Season?
Many believe the injury will have a negative impact on the season given how vital Declan Rice has been for them. Some fans worry about whether or not Mark Noble can still play at the level required for a squad with European ambitions.
West Ham fan, Alex Smith, had this to say about the situation “With Declan Rice, obviously one of our best players out and our replacement Noble is old so could be the difference between getting Champions League football, but our team is still good – hope he’s not out for long though.”
Another West Ham fan Finley Jackson had this to say on the situation “It could quite easily have a negative impact on results, it definitely could because I think everyone knows how central he is to our first team and how important he is to us doing well on the pitch.”
Rice For Euro 2020?
He will be in a race against time to get fit in order to be named for the Gareth Southgate’s Euro squad, given that many believe he might not be match fit by England’s first game of the tournament. Southgate has repeatedly selected and started the young midfielder over the last few international breaks, so he will be crossing his fingers that the injury won’t be too serious and Rice is available for the Euros.
West Ham fans still feel optimistic about their star man’s inclusion with Alex adding “Providing he is fit for the euros he has to be in the starting 11.”
The timing of Rice’s injury couldn’t have been at a worse, for West Ham, or indeed England, but the youngster has an impeccable injury record and there’s no doubt he’ll return to full fitness.
