Rice tells "unreal" Dowman to "stay hungry" as he takes teenagers under his wing

03/26/2025 04:16 AM

Declan Rice says he's taken youngsters Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, and Max Dowman under his wing since they became regulars in first-team training.

All three were on the scoresheet for England this week. Lewis-Skelly netted on his senior debut against Albania, while Nwaneri and Dowman scored for the under-21s and under-17s, respectively.

Dowman, who was only 14 when the season started, hasn't been included in a senior matchday squad yet due to his age. However, his regular involvement with the first team – including the mid-season trip to Dubai – suggests it's only a matter of time before he follows in the footsteps of his teenage peers.

Rice is certainly excited about the youngster's potential, though he's keen to keep expectations in check.

“I have had so many texts about Max recently,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“At 15, there is such a long way to go. You can be the best 15-year-old in the country, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to be at 18.

“So, you need to be hungry, keep working and keep pushing. I speak to Max a lot and he has got such a good family around him. He is unreal.”

Rice, who was released by Chelsea at 14, knows better than most the importance of having senior players to look up to. After making his West Ham debut at 17, he racked up 50 appearances by the time he was 19.

“I have a great relationship with all three of them [Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly & Dowman], because Max gets to train with us quite a lot.

“I have kind of taken these three under my wing, because I have been in that position before and I had older players help me out.

“I get on well with all of them and they are really comfortable around me, which is all part of having a good relationship.”

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