Declan Rice has been ruled out of West Ham’s game against Wolves and may miss the European Championships depending on the seriousness of his injury. Rice is confronting a spell on the sidelines after picking up knee damage within the final of England’s three World Cup qualifiers against Poland.
The Telegraph says the 22-year-old has been wearing a protective brace to make sure he does no more damage, while the player and his club wait for the swelling to go down and for the results of the scans.
The initial diagnosis is that he could miss four weeks which would mean he could still play a part in the Hammers’ Premier League run-in as they fight for a Champions League spot.
And both David Moyes and England boss Gareth Southgate will be nervously awaiting news on his availability.
The results of his scan will determine how long he will be out and there are fears his participation at the European Championships this summer could be at risk.
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Rice received a kick to the knee in the win over Poland at Wembley but played on for the rest of the game.
The report adds that it is likely Rice will miss more than one game for the Hammers, but it’s not yet clear quite how serious this knock is.
Still, this is a real concern for David Moyes’ side as they get into the business end of the season, with a top-four spot still up for grabs for the east Londoners.
That would surely be impossible without Rice, however, who has been hugely influential in this West Ham side in recent years.
However, the worst-case scenario, according to the report, would see Rice miss the rest of the season and undergo surgery which would almost certainly rule him out of the Euros.
David Moyes and Gareth Southgate are both sweating on the fitness of Rice, who has been one of the outstanding players for club and country this campaign.
