Declan Rice has spoken about the possibility he faces of pushing West Ham further towards the Championship, when Nuno Espirito Santo's side host the current Premier League leaders this weekend.
Rice, who moved from east to north London for a club record £105million fee in 2023, is yet to win a major trophy at his current club but is closing in on the title - a target that would considerably aided by winning in Stratford on Sunday.The game, which takes place on 10 May, 46 years to the day since John Lyall's Second Division Hammers beat favourites Arsenal to win the FA Cup, is a must-not-lose match for the Irons following Tottenham's controversial win at Villa Park last weekend which returned West Ham to the relegation places.
But for Rice it is a must-win - even though he admits it will hurt on a personal level to potentially inflict damage on the club with which he won his only notable trophy to date - the COnference League title in 2023.
"It's a club that gave me everything," Rice said, speaking ahead of the latest return to his former stomping ground. "Without West Ham, there's no me. I honestly believe that. They gave me a chance when Chelsea didn't.
"A lot of people there really did push me on. [David] Moyes, [Slaven] Bilic and [Manuel] Pellegrini who made me captain. There's loads of good things about that club.
"It's not nice to see the position they are, but it's football and I have a job to do. We're trying to win a Premier League title. May the best team win."
West Ham host Arsenal at the London Olympic Stadium on Sunday at 4.30pm.
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