Irish teenager praised on Match of the Day for first start at centre-back

“For his first Premier League start at centre-back, he handled himself brilliantly.”

Declan Rice may have emerged from the toughest test of his professional career so far with a loss, but the Irish underage international has earned plenty of praise, writes Stephen Barry.

The 18-year-old was tasked with facing down the league’s most potent attacking team in years on only his third start, and his first at centre-back, but took credit in a battling 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.