West Ham midfielder Declan Rice says reaching the Euros final with England transformed his game.
Looking back, the West Ham midfielder sees the Euros as a transition from promising young player to leading international star, but says his outstanding form this season is only “a little bit" of his full potential.
“In the final, after I had my first touch, I knew I was going to have a good game because I was so up for it: driving with the ball, winning tackles, making good passes forward," Rice told the London Evening Standard, after being named Premier League Player of the Year at Thursday night's London Football Awards.
“Even though we lost that game — and it was probably the worst moment of my career — I took a positive from it that I can perform like that on the big stage.
“I remember our first game at Newcastle this season. I'd only had a two-week holiday. I played the first-half and wasn't at the races, but the second-half I took it to the levels where I was in the Euros. The manager pulled me and said, 'That's where you need to stay at'. That's what I've tried to do this season.
“I've just believed in myself a bit more. My brothers have always told me that my ability is incredible and I just need to show it more on the pitch.
“In the first couple of years at West Ham I was probably holding myself back because I was a young player, I didn't want to make a mistake. I wanted to be on the good side of the fans, I wanted to be on the manager's side.
“I feel like since the Euros, when I played really well, it has really spurred me on. And this season I've kind of thought, 'You know what? I've got all this ability. I'm going to go out there and show it'. What you are seeing now is only a little bit of what's to come."