5 young Premier League players who made their breakthrough during the 2017-18 campaign

#4 Declan Rice

A potential star in the making

A former Chelsea youth product who has now made over 20 Premier League appearances for the Hammers, a mistake by Chelsea perhaps? The 19-year-old central midfielder/centre-half has been heavily praised by his manager and pundits alike for his solid performances. The Irishman captained the U-23 side to promotion last season and is now blossoming in England's top division.

Rice was named as a substitute five times last season and finally came to make his Premier League debut during their final game of the season. Unfortunately for him, it was in the 91st minute. In the same month, he was invited to train with the Republic of Ireland senior team having represented them since U-16 level and he has since made his senior debut for his country.

There is no doubt that Rice is a very promising player, and there is a very high chance he may be one of the first names on the team sheet come next season; he has even been tipped as future Hammers captain by teammate, Pablo Zabaleta.