Declan Rice hid from his family after making England switch | OneFootball

Two weeks ago, Declan Rice finally made the decision to switch his international allegiance from Ireland to England.

Rice’s choice was seen by many as a foregone conclusion after he rejected a call-up to the Ireland senior team for UEFA Nations League back in October.

Though he had made three first-team appearances for Ireland, they were all friendly matches, making Rice eligible to change his mind.

After deciding on England, Rice decided to go rogue.

“We were out in Marbella when I made the decision.

“I called both Mick [McCarthy] and Gareth [Southgate] and once I made the two phone calls and set up the statement I just turned off the phone because I knew it would be pinging with loads of messages, texts, social media, and I knew I had to take myself away from it while I was away.

“I didn’t really read much about it and told my family not to look because there was always going to be some backlash and I didn’t want them reading that.

“I’m just looking at the positives and to the future.

“It’s been difficult because I’m the youngest in the family.

“Mum and dad are always looking out for me, they just want the best for me.

“Making the decision, they were worried about the backlash.

“Whether they did look or not, that was up to them, but they are proud and I stick by my decision.”

On Thursday, Rice took home Young Player of the Year honors at the London Football Awards.