West Ham star Declan Rice wants to make central midfield role his own as England coaches watch on

Declan Rice says he is enjoying playing in a holding midfield role at West Ham and wants to continue playing there after another standout performance.

The 20-year-old was named man of the match after impressing in the Hammers' midfield in the 3-1 victory over Fulham on Friday evening.

After initially being utilised as a centre-back under former boss David Moyes when he broke into the first-team, Rice has featured in a deeper midfield role under current boss Manuel Pellegrini.

The Hammers starlet has caught the eye patrolling the space in front of the back four so far this season and while Rice understands that his versatility as a defender is useful, he sees himself playing in midfield in the future.

"The manager's been on at me all season about protecting the back four," he told Sky Sports after the game.

"I had to switch on a bit more because [Aleksandar] Mitrovic was getting more of the ball in the second half but I thought we did a good job.

"Where I've been playing most of this season in midfield and I'm really enjoying it, that's where I see my future.

"Obviously I can still play at centre half and it's handy I can play at the back but going forward, I'd love to play in that holding role."

It is thought that Rice, who recently declared his international allegiance to England after representing Ireland at youth level, was being watched by England assistant manager Steve Holland ahead of the Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Montenegro next month.