West Ham have given youngster Declan Rice a new long-term deal.
The 18-year-old is now under contract at the London Stadium until 2020, having produced a string of impressive displays as captain of the club’s development side.
Rice, a Republic of Ireland Under-21 international, is currently on the cusp of West Ham manager Slaven Bilic’s squad and was a substitute for the first team’s Boxing Day win at Swansea City.
“I’m delighted to have been rewarded with a new contract,” Rice told the club’s website.
“It has been an amazing season for me, I think I’ve kicked on and progressed.
“I’m happy now that the contract has been signed and I can just focus on trying to improve even more and hopefully get a game for the first team before the end of the season.
“After the season I’ve had, being on the bench for the first team and captaining the Under-23s in every game, it’s been amazing. I’ve trained with the first team quite a bit as well and that makes me want to kick on even more.”
Rice on Chelsea’s books before being snapped up by West Ham, where he impressed at Under-18 level before moving up to the development squad.