Football news - Declan Rice commits international future to England

The 20-year-old was born in London, but qualified for the Republic of Ireland via paternal grandparents and after playing at youth level went on to make three senior appearances, all in friendly matches.

However, after breaking into the West Ham first team and becoming a regular in Manuel Pellegrini’s side this season, Rice has chosen to switch his allegiance to England.

Rice said in a lengthy statement posted on his official Twitter account on Wednesday: “This afternoon I telephoned both Mick McCarthy and Gareth Southgate to inform them of my decision to submit a written request to FIFA for the transfer of my international registration from the Republic of Ireland to
England.

“This has been an extremely difficult decision and, in all honesty, not one I ever expected to be making at this stage of my career. So much has happened, so quickly, in the past couple of years.”

The Football Association of Ireland also confirmed the news in a short statement.

Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy said: “Declan rang me today and said he has decided to give it a go with England. Good luck to him.”