Forget Rice: Moyes must unleash £7.2m-rated WHU gem with "all the necessary qualities" - opinion

West Ham United’s star midfielder Declan Rice was absent for their 1-0 defeat at Liverpool on Saturday evening through illness, with manager David Moyes opting to set up with a 4-4-2 as a result, with attacking midfielder Manuel Lanzini playing deeper than usual alongside Tomas Soucek.

Although the Hammers made a decent account of themselves in Merseyside, it did beg the question as to how Moyes should resolve the issue if Rice is to be absent again, either with the same illness or at another point this season.

With the Englishman and Soucek enjoying a solid defensive midfield partnership over the past almost two seasons, it would seem resorting to another defensive midfielder would be the sensible decision if either of the pair are to miss a game during the remainder of the campaign.

Therefore, it only seems right that Alex Kral is given the nod next time.

The 23-year-old Czech Republic international is currently on loan at The London Stadium from Russian outfit Spartak Moscow for the season but hasn’t seen much game time in England.

Kral has made just six appearances for the Hammers, with one game in the Premier League – a one-minute long cameo against Watford, making his loan spell currently an unsuccessful move.

The deal does include an option to buy, however, Kral’s fortunes will have to improve if he is to remain in east London beyond this season.

However, it’s fair to say the Czech defensive midfielder hasn’t been handed enough opportunities to make an impression on Moyes.

Soon after Kral’s loan move, Spartak wing-back Victor Moses, who was a Premier League winner with Chelsea, showered the 23-year-old with praise, saying: “I wasn’t surprised, Alex is a great player and he went to prove himself at the highest