Stuart Pearce has claimed that Declan Rice is ahead of Roy Keane at the same time in their football careers.
Rice is being linked with a big-money move to the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea this summer after another impressive season for West Ham last term.
But ex-Hammers assistant Pearce can't see the club selling their captain in the current transfer window.
READ MORE: Roy Keane warned Man Utd when asked Cristiano Ronaldo transfer question
Pearce said: “David [Moyes] has been adamant and the board have been adamant that Declan is going nowhere and David is going to build a team around him.
“He is so crucial. I have loved the last two years working with the kid. Watching him play, watching him flourish, captaining the team.
“He’s integral for England now, really integral. You take him out of that midfield, as we saw in the Hungary game.
“All of a sudden, 4-0 defeat, we got a little bit exposed.
“There is not a chance he is leaving.”
In believing that Rice, who represented the Republic of Ireland at underage level, is a future England captain, Pearce made comparisons with former Ireland and Manchester United captain Keane.
He told TalkSport: “I was fortunate enough to play with Roy Keane at Nottingham Forest. He was an outstanding talent when he arrived.
“I think at the same age, and I’m rolling the clock back two years for Dec, I would say he is slightly ahead of Roy.
“Now, Roy went on to bigger things than Declan has achieved at this moment in time.
“Roy had a lion underneath the engine and a will to win. I’m not suggesting Declan hasn’t and he won’t grow into that.
“With Dec’s stature, if he started to add goals to his game… he is so important to West Ham, sitting in front of the back three, but if they could free him up more, he would score goals as well.”
He added: “Declan’s ability, his recovering tackles are sensational. Players think they have room when he’s five years away but he covers that ground with a burst.
“He is like a lion hunting down a wildebeest that’s injured, he’s a brilliant player and he’ll be at West Ham next season.”
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