Manchester United can't afford to waste Declan Rice transfer opportunity

The pain was etched all over Declan Rice's face in Frankfurt on Thursday night. The disappointment for the West Ham midfielder was two-fold in a defeat that robbed him of a first European final and a route into the Champions League.

That would have been a first Champions League campaign for the 23-year-old, but as painful as defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt was in a bad-tempered game, there will be more famous European nights for Rice further down the line.

The Hammers were defiant on the pitch in Germany and they remain defiant off it when it comes to the future of Rice, but the reality is that simply cannot offer the stage that the 23-year-old deserves.

READ MORE: West Ham stand firm over United target Declan Rice

Time and again this season Rice has shown himself to be a world-class midfielder, rising to the big occasions in the Europa League but dominating games in the Premier League as well.

When West Ham were beaten 1-0 at Old Trafford in January it was a poor display from David Moyes' overly cautious team, but Rice still managed to look like the best midfielder on the pitch.

That has been the way for most of this season and while West Ham's hand is strong with Rice tied down to a contract for a further two years, with the option for another, the time is coming for the midfielder to move up a level.

Manchester United have a long-standing interest in him and the deck could fall in their favour this summer. Chelsea, who must rue the day they released a 14-year-old Rice, are unlikely to be able to make a move due to the uncertainty at Stamford Bridge and Manchester City aren't thought to be serious contenders at the moment.

If Rice was to move to United this summer he would only be upgrading from the Europa