David Moyes praises West Ham captain Declan Rice's 'commitment'

‘You have to earn that respect’: David Moyes praises West Ham captain Declan Rice’s ‘commitment’ but insists he will need ‘experience’ before he can match the status of Hammers legend Mark Noble

• Declan Rice took over as West Ham captain following Mark Noble’s retirement
• Noble was a club legend who made 550 appearances by the end of last season
• David Moyes said Rice has ‘big boots to fill’ but is already ‘our leader’
• He praised the midfielder’s ‘commitment’ but said respect had to be ‘earnt’

West Ham boss David Moyes says captain Declan Rice still has to ‘earn the respect’ from team-mates off the pitch to emulate his predecessor Mark Noble.

Moyes, who side face Fulham on Sunday, acknowledges the 23-year-old has ‘big boots to fill’, as former captain Noble racked up 550 appearances before retiring at the end of last season.

‘Dec has been our leader on the pitch for the last year or two,’ Moyes said. ‘His performances have been second to none. 

Declan Rice has ‘big boots to fill’ after taking over from  Mark Noble as West Ham captain

‘His commitment, he wants to play the games and wants to get better. The other side is with a bit of experience you know what to do in certain situations. 

‘Mark was the shop steward here and could control everything. You have to earn that respect and Dec still needs to do that.’

David Moyes praised his skipper’s commitment but insisted he still needs to earn respect 

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