Former West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic has hailed the form of midfielder Declan Rice, with the midfielder earning his debut for England on Friday.
Bilic gave Rice his first ever taste of first-team football at the Hammers in the 2016-17 season, when the Croatian played him at Burnley.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Bilic had some very complimentary words for his former player who has become an integral part of Manuel Pellegrini's plans for the Irons this season.
Rice made his England debut on Friday, coming off the bench at Wembley in the victory against the Czech Republic.
"He has a bit of everything; very strong in the tackle, good in positioning himself, decent, quick and hungry for the second ball.
"We got him mainly as a centre-back in training, then we put him as a holding midfielder because he keeps the position there and can pass the ball.
"He's like the metronome, he keeps the balance of the team, doesn't go up or down, or left or right. He stays in position which was unbelievably mature for his age.
"He's doing exactly the right thing to play in different areas of the pitch and see which one he is most suited to. He is learning all of the time."
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