Roy Keane has mocked West Ham co-owner David Gold after he tasked new manager Manuel Pellegrini with turning Declan Rice into an England international.
Rice, who won Young Hammer of the Year in following an impressive season in difficult circumstances, has made one friendly appearance for Republic of Ireland.
The 19-year-old is being monitored by the England setup, and could still switch allegiance having not appeared in a competitive game for Martin O’Neill’s side.
However, assistant manager Keane says Ireland is the obvious choice.
"It's going to be pretty difficult if he's Irish, and he is Irish, he plays for Ireland," Keane said.
"Where else would he want to go? If you had a choice, Ireland or England…It's pretty straightforward. Ireland.”
On Wednesday, Gold said to Talksport: “I’m looking forward to the new manager turning Declan Rice into a strong English defender for the future of the England team.”
