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Paul Ince believes that the reported price of Declan Rice is ludicrous as he is far from the finished product.

What did he say?

The former England international is an admirer of the midfielder, but given he is only 20 Ince is fair to assume that it is too early to be speaking of prices such as £70m.

He also praised West Ham and the current set-up in place, indicating that it is a good environment for young players to prosper, whilst stating that a few more years of development in east London could really help his career.

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Speaking on talkSPORT, as quoted by Football.London, Ince said:

"Stop quoting these ridiculous prices, it’s madness, it really is. In two or three years time, maybe, but he’s still got a lot to learn, he’s still got to grow, be a lot more powerful and get up and down the park quicker than he does.

“That will come as his body develops more but he’s still got to get himself in the box, got to score goals. That’s going to be worth £80-90m, so if he can learn that as he grows older, why not?

"I think he’s at the right club at West Ham, he’s playing week in, week out, which is important, and I think he’s got the right people around him, like Mark Noble, who has been there a long time, so he’ll learn a lot."

Been there and done it

Rice could do a lot worse than to listen to and heed the advice of Ince, as he could follow in his footsteps if he makes the right decisions.

Like the current Hammers man, Ince came through the academy at West Ham and went on to make 72 appearances in three years, before he couldn't resist the call of Manchester United.

That means he had more experience of being in and around the first team at the time of his move and likely was in a better frame of mind when deciding to move, as well as being older than Rice currently is.

The England international only has one full season under his belt playing in his current position of defensive midfield and though he has impressed and is improving, as shown in his interception and tackling stats - which he ranks fourth and third amongst Premier League midfielders - there are still areas to work on, as Ince points out.

Ince is, therefore, probably correct in his assessment that he could do with a few more years learning the trade from the likes of Noble, particularly as the Red Devils are currently in a slump in 12th place.