West Ham boss David Moyes vows to give Kalvin Phillips time to get back to Declan Rice’s level… as he claims there was ‘very little between them’ two years ago but admits it ‘hasn’t quite worked’ for the Man City loanee since

David Moyes challenged Kalvin Phillips to return to Declan Rice’s level as the two England midfielders face off at the London Stadium on Sunday.

Phillips, on loan from Manchester City for the rest of the season, has struggled in his two West Ham games after joining with little first-team experience.

Rice, who moved to Arsenal for a club record £105 million last summer, returned to his previous club in a 3-1 League Cup defeat in November and threw away a penalty in the Hammers’ 2-0 Premier League triumph at the Emirates in December.

‘Two years ago I thought there was very little between them,’ Moyes explained. ‘Kalvin performed admirably for England in the most recent Euros. In reality, Declan has kicked on. Kalvin tried to make all the correct moves, but it didn’t quite work out for him.
David Moyes vowed to allow Kalvin Phillips time to come back to his best after a rocky start to his stint at West Ham, having joined on loan from Manchester City until the end of the season
But he’s young and skilled enough to return to the ranks. When you have a point to prove, you must do it. I hope we give Kalvin the opportunity to accomplish it.

Meanwhile, Moyes is sure that his new two-and-a-half-year contract will be agreed soon, as his present one is set to expire in the summer. He stated, ‘We are headed in the right direction.’