England: Declan Rice says criticism of Graeme Souness is ‘tough’

Declan Rice has branded criticism of him sports mail Columnist Graeme Souness “harsh” ahead of Thursday night’s clash between Rice’s England and Italy.

Former Liverpool midfielder Souness effectively called the West Ham captain a limited player.

And Rice – who recently quit social media – replied here in Naples on Wednesday night: “It’s tough because Souness doesn’t see West Ham every week.

“There are loads of West Ham fans, 60,000 come every week, they see what I do.

“But Souness was a player and when someone like him speaks you sometimes have to listen and consider where there is room for improvement if that’s true.

West Ham midfielder Declan Rice has called Graeme Souness’ criticism of him “harsh”.

The Hammers captain has endured a difficult season for his club, which sits in the relegation zone

Sportsmail columnist and ex-Liverpool star Souness (pictured) effectively dubbed Rice Limited

Rice hopes to make a statement with a win against Italy in his own backyard on Thursday night

“You try not to let it affect you so much. I can take it on the chin quite well.’

At Thursday night’s clash, Rice added, “There’s more expectation than ever. If you look at this roster, it’s full of quality players.

“The record in Italy wasn’t good and this is the fourth time we’ve played them since the Euro and we haven’t won yet. It would be a really big statement if we could put on a performance.

“A win would be a great sign and would benefit us for this campaign.

“We’re in a hostile city, a hostile stadium and we’re ready to go. It’s going to be tough, but after the World Cup we believe we can beat anyone.”

Rice’ West Ham team-mate Gianluca Scamacca is set to face England on Thursday night amid doubts about his future.

The striker, who joined West Ham in the summer for £35.5million, is struggling to get a Premier League game.

Scamacca was also criticized by Hammers manager David Moyes for its substandard “physical data”.