West Ham youngster Declan Rice is enjoying his midfield role this season.

Rice admits it's been a steep learning curve from his natural position at centre-half.

“I'd say Everton away was my best performance since I came back in, because we'd lost the first four and we couldn't lose five in a row," Rice recalled. “The manager changed the team up and we went out there, everyone played really well, we won our first game and got the three points and there's no better feeling than that, to be honest.

“If you compare the first game I played at Liverpool compared to the ones I'm playing now, my positioning at Anfield wasn't the best for a holding midfielder. Positioning is one of the main things when you play in that position, because you've always got to play in the centre of the pitch.

“I always look back at that Liverpool game because it was the first time I'd played CDM (central defensive midfielder) in a while and I was not really in the back four, I was wide, and sometimes it's not about that. You've just got to hold your position and trust that the ball is going to come near you.

“I think, since I've started to do that, the amount of interceptions and tackles I have made has gone up."