West Ham supporters have reluctantly accepted that Wednesday's Europa Conference League final showdown with Fiorentina is set to be Declan Rice's final game for the club.
His potential departure is set to be a major blow for the Hammers to cope with next season, but ESPN reports that the Premier League side could look to replace Rice's leadership qualities by bringing in Harry Maguire from Manchester United, where he has fallen out of favour.
What is the latest with Declan Rice's future?
Regardless of the result in Prague on Wednesday, nobody can argue that Rice has not earned a move to – for want of a better word – a 'bigger' club than West Ham after impressing consistently over six years as a first-team regular.
The England international will leave huge boots to fill at the London Stadium – not least his leadership qualities, having taken on the role of captain following Mark Noble's retirement at the end of the 2021/22 season.
David Moyes openly admitted for the first time last month that he expects Rice to depart this summer, given the in-demand midfielder is now into the final year of his contract.
However, with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all said to hold an interest, West Ham will not let their prized asset leave on the cheap. Indeed, Moyes said as much in February when valuing Rice in excess of £100m, despite his contract situation.
Can Man Utd's Maguire fill the Rice void?
It is little wonder West Ham are eager to receive a British-record fee for Rice, who is coming off the back of another hugely impressive season, even if West Ham have underwhelmed domestically.
The 24-year-old has added more of an attacking edge to his game this term, too, as reflected by his four goals and two assists in the Premier League, compared to four goals in the competition across the previous four campaigns combined.
Rice's ability to get the ball forward into dangerous areas will also be missed should he move on, highlighted by his 240 progressive passes this season – only seven others, Kevin De Bruyne and Martin Odegaard among them – played more.
Away from the tangible statistics, though, Rice's ability to lead the side cannot be understated, whether he is wearing the captain's armband or not.
England boss Gareth Southgate has previously described Rice as having "tremendous leadership qualities", with many expecting him to one day replace Harry Kane as skipper of the national side.
Finding a player with similar qualities is not easy, but Maguire may well be that man. The out-of-favour Man Utd defender – who earns £190k-per-week at Old Trafford, according to Capology – is widely expected to find a new club after being restricted to just eight league starts this term.
Maguire's playing style has failed to win over Erik ten Hag, but his qualities as a "leader" – as lauded by Jurgen Klinsmann – even when having to settle for intermittent appearances cannot be called into question.
As Ten Hag himself put it following United's 4-1 European win over Real Betis, Maguire "shows leadership, especially in those aspects of the initiative and dictating of the game."
Man Utd fans may well have seen the last of those qualities up close, but if West Ham are indeed serious with their interest in the former Leicester City player, then they will at least have resolved one issue brought on by Rice's imminent departure.
