England coach Gareth Southgate is convinced West Ham midfielder Declan Rice will continue improving.

Rice has been a regular for Southgate's Three Lions since making his debut as a substitute in a UEFA European Championship qualifying win over the Czech Republic at Wembley in March 2019, starting 12 of a possible 17 internationals since then.

“It's great to see him in a team who are in a different position in the league because I think you want your players to be involved in matches where they are pushing for Europe or pushing in the cups, because the more different experiences they have the better," Southgate observed.

“So, if his club can qualify for Europe and he is involved in European competition then that's another step in his individual development that he hasn't had yet at club level.

“He's fantastic player to work with and he really wants to learn and to improve. To be captain of his club at such a young age tells you all you need to know really about his personality and his character."