As one of the leaders of England’s golden generation, Declan Rice knows a thing or two about precocious talent.
After all, his best mate, Mason Mount, made his international debut at the age of 20 and Rice has emerged alongside the likes of Phil Foden, who also won his first cap when he was 20 and Bukayo Saka, a teenager when first blooded by Gareth Southgate.
Rice, 23, is also an avid student of the global game, with a voracious appetite for watching football’s up-and-coming world stars. But he has not seen any developing player in the same class as the 19-year-old who delivered a Wembley midfield masterclass on Monday night.
