West Ham's Declan Rice: Nice not to have 'pressure' of trying to avoid relegation

The England international says he is ready to return after coronavirus-enforced close down of Premier League

Sheffield United's English-born Northern Irish midfielder Oliver Norwood (R) and other Sheffield United players celebrate after a late West Ham equaliser is ruled out because of a handball in the builShow more

Declan Rice concedes one plus from the coronavirus-enforced shutdown of the Premier League is relief from the "stress" of trying to salvage West Ham United's Premier League status.

The English top-flight has been suspended since mid-March, with the league no closer to pinpointing a date of when it might be safe to resume the 2019/20 season.

It has been a season of struggle for the Hammers, who are currently 16th in the table but level on points with 18th-placed Bournemouth with nine matches remaining.

Midfielder Rice, 21, has been a rare shining light on an otherwise dismal campaign, and while the England international admits to missing the day-to-day interactions with his teammates, he said a break from the pressure of trying to secure West Ham's safety each week was something of a blessing.

"It's tough because I am used to seeing my teammates, going out every day, to have that taken away from you is really tough," Rice told Sky Sports.

"On a nicer scale of it, it is nice with the position we are in at West Ham, not to feel the pressure of having to go out and play for three points every week.

"It's nice from that perspective not to have that stress, but we just want to get back to it now."