West Ham midfielder Declan Rice has been likened to a 'young Steven Gerrard' amid persistent links with Manchester United.
Rice, 23, has evolved into one of the Premier League's most complete midfielders, spearheading West Ham's European charge this season.
David Moyes' men were frustrated by Newcastle as they were held to a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium on Saturday, dealing a significant blow to their Champions League hopes.
Rice, who has been imperious for much of the season, was at fault with a rare error as his misplaced header led to Joe Willock's equaliser for the relegation-threatened Magpies after Craig Dawson's opener.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Declan Rice a future captain of England? Comment below
But before the game, Rice was lauded for his outstanding individual performances and growth by BT Sport pundits Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole.
The former England internationals are impressed by all-action Rice's constant thirst for improvement.
Rice has netted four goals this season and has added a distinct attacking threat to his game.
Former Chelsea star Cole even likened his development to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.
"He’s so mobile, he’s like a young Steven Gerrard. He’s come on bundles," Cole said.
Ferdinand added: "I think the key word there is improving, that’s when of his biggest desire is just to keep analysing his game, always looking to add parts to his game.
"What you’d associate with a holding midfielder is play it there, play it there and stay, but he now wants to affect the game, he doesn’t just want to be sitting on the edge of the box.
"He wants to be a Yaya Toure type player. It’s his attitude, the way he leads, the way he drives."
The Red Devils seem desperate for midfield reinforcements this summer and Rice is said to be high up on the list of Old Trafford targets.
But Rice still has two years on his West Ham contract and his side have the option to extend his current deal by a further 12 months.
A mammoth fee would almost certainly be required to persuade the Hammers to sell their star midfielder.
"Yeah," Moyes said last week when asked if Rice is worth over £100m.
"I think I've said everything there is to say about Declan.
"He's a really important player for West Ham, he's someone who we value greatly and you can see what he means to the team."
Rice's leadership under Moyes has unsurprisingly led to him being touted as a future England captain.
The midfielder played a key role in the Three Lions run to the Euro 2020 final last summer and Moyes believes he has every chance of leading his country in the future.
"He should look at Harry Kane and Harry Maguire and all of those senior players he's involved with for England, and take as much from them as he can, because in the future I've got no doubt he's got a great chance of going on to be a future England captain," the Scot added.
"We're really pleased to have him and he's an impressive young man."
