Rice’s England decision slammed by Townsend

Former Republic of Ireland midfielder Andy Townsend has slammed West Ham midfielder Declan Rice for pledging his allegiance to England rather than The Boys in Green.

The 20-year-old Rice had previously made three appearances for Ireland in 2018. However, these appearances came in friendly internationals, meaning that he was still eligible to switch allegiance to his country of birth as he did not represent Ireland in a competitive fixture.

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In August 2018, former Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill opted to omit Rice from his squad to play against Wales. The then manager noted that the player was considering switching his international allegiance to England after an approach by the Three Lions for his future.

Rice had previously also played for Ireland at youth level from U-16 to U-21 level. His decision is likely to be a bitter pill to swallow for many Ireland fans and has drawn widespread criticism.

Townsend is just the latest player to slam Rice for having made the controversial decision. The former midfielder feels that a player should commit their international futures to one nation after they represent them in youth competition. He also feels that Rice has made a ”mockery” of international football.

“Once you’ve played international football at senior level, then that’s it, that’s your commitment to that country and that’s the way it should stay,” Townsend told Sky Sports News.

“He’s a very talented player, no question, his game has moved on an awful lot even over the last six months.

“It’s a position where England don’t have serious strength in depth in that particular role.

“Gareth [Southgate] I’m sure will play him and good luck to him, but I don’t think it’s right that when you get senior caps all of a sudden you can change your mind.

“I think that’s made a mockery of international football.”

From another perspective, one could argue that Rice made the correct decision for footballing reasons. England manager Gareth Southgate enjoys working with young talent, meaning that Rice is likely to make his debut for the Three Lions sooner rather than later.

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A youthful Three Lions squad also impressively managed to reach the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. They are expected to be contenders for Euro 2020 as well as the 2022 World Cup.