“I will be keeping (number) 41 for this season.” In seven words and one number, Declan Rice allowed West Ham fans to breathe a massive sigh of relief.

Rumours of the England international departing east London this summer have been rife for the past few months as Manchester United have long been interested in the 20-year-old midfielder, with the Metro going as far as to say the Red Devils were in talks with West Ham over the transfer of Rice, but with the youngster tweeting that he will be retaining his kit number for next season, it seems to have all but confirmed his status as a Hammer for another year.

Rice excelled in the West Ham XI last season, making the second most recoveries out of any player in the Premier League in the 2018/19 campaign according to Squawka and seeing his valuation on Transfermarkt jump from £9 million to £40.5 million, and with Rice now staying on at the London Stadium for another year, it is now up to Manuel Pellegrini to build the side around him.

As one of the most highly-rated youngsters in world football, it is unlikely West Ham have a player as good as Rice in their academy presently, meaning they need to keep hold of him for as long as possible.

Favouring a 4-1-4-1 formation, Rice tends to operate at the base of the midfield and rarely ventures forward unless an opposition team allows him to do so, and the England international has made a solid reputation out of himself as a good anchorman in the West Ham XI, and this can be helped with good hardworking and creative midfielders ahead of him in the centre of the park.

Pellegrini has dreams of taking West Ham to Europe in the near future via football.london, and if the Irons boss opts to build the team around Rice, then that goal could become a reality.

West Ham fans, should Pellegrini build the team around Rice? Let us know!