Former Manchester United defender Ferdinand has been out in Qatar working as a pundit alongside many other ex-players.
He has had the chance to mix with fellow legends of the sport and off camera there has been one player in particular who has caught the eye.
The midfielder has been linked with moves to both United and Chelsea having made it clear during the World Cup that he would like to leave West Ham.
Ferdinand, speaking to his YouTube channel following England’s quarter-final defeat to France, said: ‘I have to shout out Declan Rice.
‘He’s been quietly one of our most consistent and best performers.
‘When you talk to a lot of the foreign players, the legends, obviously we are hanging out with a lot of legends of the game during the World Cup and speaking to a lot of the guys.
‘When you ask them about the English guys, you get the obvious ones for Jude Bellingham but most of them come back with Declan Rice as well.
‘So in terms of respect around Europe and the world, he is certainly a player who has enhanced his reputation. I left him a message, a text this morning about it.
‘When you go into a tournament as a player you want a minimum of two things. Firstly you want to win the tournament and secondly you want to leave the tournament with your reputation enhanced.’
Rice, an integral part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad, has been valued in excess of £100m by his current club and they remain in a relatively strong bargaining position with two-and-a-half years left to run on his current deal.
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