West Ham star Declan Rice tells Alex Scott how Kingston cage helped him become Hammers star

SUNSPORT’S ALEX SCOTT met one of the Premier League’s brightest young stars, West Ham and England midfielder Declan Rice, 20, in his native Kingston-on-Thames as part of Dream Team’s Hometown Glory series.

ALEX: West Ham’s last two Premier League openers have ended in 4-0 defeats to Manchester United and Liverpool. Now you’ve got Manchester City?!

DECLAN: United and Liverpool were both away, so it will be nice to finally have a home game.

It’s true, we’ve found it tough during the opening games of the last two seasons.

But with City we’re at home now and we’re really looking forward to it.

We’re back, we’re fit and I can’t wait for the Premier League to start again.

ALEX: Pep Guardiola’s team were amazing last season, so just how do you stop them?

DECLAN: We want to catch them cold and early, that’s for sure. When you’re playing against City you know it’s going to be a tough game.

You’ve got to have a game plan against them.

You can’t just rock up against them because they’ll open you up and score goals.

ALEX: You played 34 Premier League matches last season, as well as three games for England. Do you feel you’ve established yourself now?

DECLAN: You want to go back in and impress the manager again, even though he’s seen you for the whole of last season.
There’s always going to be someone who wants to take your place. You need to go back and give it everything you’ve got.

ALEX: Tell me about your time at Chelsea’s academy?

DECLAN: As a youngster I never played for a Sunday League team.

My dad had been through it with my two older brothers and didn’t want me to play for a Sunday side. Luckily enough my cousin was already at Chelsea.

He told one of the scouts that they needed to get me down for a trial.

Because I didn’t play for a team there was no way of watching me but my cousin begged them to get me down to training.

I got past that bit and they gave me a six-week trial. After five weeks we played Swindon and we won 2-0.

I scored one of the goals and straight after the game the academy manager asked me to sign.

That week I signed, so I went from not even having a Sunday team to being signed by Chelsea.

ALEX: We’re here in Kingston, in South-West London, where you grew up kicking a football in this cage. Tell me about your childhood.

DECLAN: This is a special place and it was also my second home from the earliest days that I can remember.

I’d run home from school, change into my football stuff and come over here. That was my life until I moved away to West Ham.

On Saturdays, my mum would drop me off here at ten and then pick me up at six. It was literally my life. This is what I enjoyed the most.

My brothers had a generation that all came here, then I had a load of mates that I grew up with and now I know a lot of the younger ones that are here as well.

I’ve been coming here since the age of two. They used to chuck me the ball and I’d be barefoot smashing the ball back to them.

If you speak to anyone in the area about it they’ll all know this place.

ALEX: West Ham have spent a lot, including £42million on striker Sebastian Haller. Are you confident going into the new season?

DECLAN: I think it’s going to be a special season.

Manuel Pellegrini has been with us for more than a year now, so we all know what he expects and how we need to work.

It takes time for a manager to come in and implement his ideas.

But we’ve signed some great new players and we’ve looked strong in pre-season.

All the players are raring to give it a real good go.