Declan Rice has hailed “mind-boggling” midfield partner Lucas Paqueta as the pair prepare for West Ham’s final push towards European glory.
Paqueta was a slow starter following his club-record move from Lyon last summer but showed his class with a string of fine performances for Brazil at the winter World Cup and has come alive during the run-in playing alongside Rice and Tomas Soucek in the Hammers midfield.
“He’s incredible, honestly, he’s absolutely incredible,” Rice said. “It’s obviously taken him a while to settle into the Premier League and into the training ground, moving his family over.
"I think now you’re seeing the real Lucas. Some of the stuff he does, even in training, it’s just mind-boggling how good he is.”
While Rice and Paqueta’s partnership is likely to be short-lived, the former set to be sold this summer, they have the chance to first end West Ham’s long wait for silverware in next month’s Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina.
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“It’s just the confidence he’s got and the time he creates for himself on the ball,” Rice added. “The confidence he has in his own ability to beat players and do mad skills. If we tried that, we’d have no chance. You’re starting to see the best of him now so long may it continue.”
