Forget Bowen: £62k-p/w "explosion" with 1538 passes has been a "revelation" for WHU - opinion

West Ham United are once again in the race to secure European football for next season among the top eight teams in the Premier League as well as competing in the Europa League.

With 48 points on the board, David Moyes’ side are currently in sixth place behind Manchester United who are two points ahead of the Hammers, both with 29 league games played.

In terms of which individual players have been particularly prominent and effective for West Ham this season, one figure that seems to be consistently pushing his side to achieve everything they can is midfielder Declan Rice.

With 27 league appearances under his belt, Michail Antonio is the only outfield player to play more minutes in the league than the Englishman, highlighting how crucial he is for the side and how highly rated he is by Moyes.

In terms of what he delivers on the pitch, the 23-year-old has racked up more tackles (62), blocks (48) and interceptions (83) than any of his teammates in this campaign. He has also made a staggering 1538 passes during his time on the field in 2021/22.

As well as his impressive defensive attributes, the midfielder has managed to score one goal and provide four assists, showing just how much of a well-rounded midfield option he is.

Labelled as an “exceptional” player by Pep Guardiola, who knows a good midfielder when he sees one having coached the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Xabi Alonso, Xavi and Iniesta to name a few, Rice has earned himself an overall performance rating of 7.16 from WhoScored, making him the second-highest rated player at the London Stadium.

While Jarrod Bowen has certainly played a big part in West Ham’s successes this season with eight goals and eight assists to his name, the £67.5m-rated gem has