Declan Rice urged to shoot more after Arsenal match-winner | OneFootball

West Ham youngster Declan Rice has revealed how the rest of the squad are urging him to shoot more often after opening his account against Arsenal on Saturday.

The 20-year-old scored his first goal for the club at the 55th attempt over the weekend, netting a vital strike in their 1-0 win over the Gunners.

And the defensive midfielder has admitted that he hopes it will be the first of many in claret and blue after receiving glowing praise from his team-mates.

“I can’t put it into words,” Rice told the club’s website. “I think you could see on my face how much it meant to me.

“And the way the team celebrated, how much it meant to them for me to score as well, as they’ve all been on at me to score and start shooting more.

“To get the three points, to beat Arsenal and for me to score is unbelievable.

“Samir (Nasri) set it back and I knew I was in the box but I didn’t really know where the goal was because I was stood side-on. It was a clean strike, a clean connection and there were a lot of bodies in the way and it went right into the top corner.

“You could see from the celebration I probably didn’t know what to do, but I’m delighted!”

Rice has been virtually ever-present for the Hammers this season, signing a new five-year deal with the club only last month.