Declan Rice wins Republic of Ireland’s young player of the year award one month after switching to England

Rice, 20, was an Ireland international with three caps at the time of the vote but all his appearances had come in friendlies, allowing him to change team and represent England, which is the country of his birth

West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice has been named Ireland’s Young Player of the Year a month after he switched allegiance to England, the Football Association of Ireland has said.

Rice, 20, was an Ireland international with three caps at the time of the vote but all his appearances had come in friendlies, allowing him to change team and represent England, which is the country of his birth.

Rice announced the move last month, describing it as “an extremely difficult decision”, before the change was confirmed by world soccer’s governing body Fifa on 5 March.

The FAI International Awards will be held on Sunday.

England manager Gareth Southgate is set to name his squad this week for Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Montenegro later this month, and Rice is expected to be included.

Reuters