Former Liverpool and England midfielder Jamie Redknapp has told West Ham United manager David Moyes to change his long-standing midfield partnership of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek.
In recent years, the duo have been among the first names on the team sheet as the two defensive midfielders in the Hammers’ 4-2-3-1 line-up, with both men starting all 13 of West Ham’s league games this season.
Since Soucek’s arrival from Slavia Prague in the summer of 2020, he has played 123 times for the Hammers in all competitions, 109 of those outings have been alongside Rice, with the duo playing in 91 of the Hammers’ 104 league games since Soucek’s arrival. Of the 91, 88 have been starts.
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However, former England midfielder Redknapp, who made 17 appearances for England between 1995 and 1999 and whose father Harry managed West Ham between 1994 and 2001, thinks that Moyes should consider playing Rice in midfield alongside either Pablo Fornals, Manuel Lanzini or Said Benrahma.
“They had chances in the second half,” Redknapp told Sky Sports after West Ham’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday. “I look at midfields and how that works now, I’m not convinced by Soucek and Rice as a partnership.
“Long-standing partnership, it has its positives, but I’m talking about certain games when you need creativity. Soucek offers you an aerial threat, set-pieces he’s important.
“I look at Declan he’s looking to pop a pass to someone but it’s not Soucek’s game. Fornals, Lanzini, Benrahma can play there, (Flynn) Downes. I know (Lucas) Paqueta is injured - he’s a player Moyes likes.
“Those two, it doesn't feel like there’s any flow when there’s two players who are so similar in there."
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