In the last few months, Declan Rice has decided where his club future lies, contemplated his international allegiances, been described as arguably the best young player in the Premier League in his position and even been compared with the great Bobby Moore. No pressure there, then.

Just one of those considerable distractions would have been enough to throw a 19-year-old off his game. Rice, though, seems to plough on with the same single-mindedness he demonstrated when released by Chelsea, at the age of 14.

London-born Rice, who celebrates his 20th birthday on Monday, has come a long way since that fateful day when father, Sean, took a call from Chelsea.

“It was about 3pm one Tuesday,” recalls Rice. “My dad got the call from Chelsea that I wasn’t being retained. I was gutted but the same night I was training at Fulham. They wanted to sign me but on the following day, after school, I came to train with West Ham.

“There were a few other clubs interested but it was down to two, Fulham and West Ham. I was supposed to be on trial for six weeks but after week three, I signed for West Ham. Fulham would have been far more convenient — I could have walked to training in a couple of minutes — but the Under-14 age-group team at West Ham was really strong, probably the best in the country.

“I just wanted that new challenge. I had to move away from home at 14 and live in a club house in Romford for three years, only seeing my mum and dad twice a week. It was hard at the start. I was homesick but I stuck at it and it’s paid off.”

Talk to anyone who knows this burgeoning talent and they will tell you he is eager to learn, to ask questions, to seek advice. One Chelsea player who was willing to give the 14-year-old Rice the benefit of his considerable experience was John Terry.

“John was helpful when I was at Chelsea,” he remembers. “We would go over to the first-team building and, because I was quite a lively character, I got on well with him. Then, after I had left, we bumped into each other in Kingston and he didn’t know I’d been released. That night I had a message from him saying he wanted to speak to me. A couple of days later he called and I was on the phone for half an hour and he was really positive. He said, ‘Do everything you can to be the best, never stop’.

“To have that call from him, an idol of mine, was just special and we still see each other now. We meet up for breakfast now and then, go for a coffee. The advice he gives me is invaluable.”

So, apart from the former England and Chelsea captain, who else has helped smooth the pathway from rejection to one of the first names on Manuel Pellegrini’s team-sheet against Arsenal on Saturday?

Rice has no doubt. “My mum, Stephanie, and my dad (pictured below right),” he says. “They’ve always wanted the best for me. Dad was never one to shout from the sidelines but we would talk a lot in the car — still do. I want to hear what he has to say, good or bad, because he always tells the truth. I always believed in what he said and he always believed I would make it as a footballer. We’re a team. I’ve just clocked up 50 matches in the Premier League for West Ham and so has he, because he hasn’t missed a game.

In Pictures | West Ham vs Birmingham | 05/01 12 show all In Pictures | West Ham vs Birmingham | 05/01 1/12 AFP/Getty Images 2/12 Getty Images 3/12 Getty Images 4/12 Getty Images 5/12 Getty Images 6/12 Getty Images 7/12 Action Images via Reuters 8/12 Getty Images 9/12 Getty Images 10/12 AFP/Getty Images 11/12 Action Images via Reuters 12/12 Getty Images

“Apart from family, [West Ham captain] Mark Noble has always been there for me, right from my first pre-season tour. He always told me to keep pushing, said I would get in the team and now I’m there it’s special.”

Not that this season started encouragingly for the teenager. “There were uncertainties,” he says. “We had a new manager and none of the players knew what was going to happen. When I was taken off at half-time at Liverpool in the opening game, you question yourself. You wonder if you are good enough to play at the top level, capable of being around the first team.

“I knew I had to get better to get back in, so I trained hard. I played against AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup, did well and stayed in for the game at Everton which we won and was a turning point, both for me and the team.”

Since that afternoon, Rice has played every minute of West Ham’s League campaign in his favourite defensive midfield position. “I’m happiest there,” he says. “I have a bit more freedom, I can break up the play and I like to tackle. I like to do the simple things really well, keep the ball ticking.”

So, wasn’t he distracted by the speculation around his new contract and whether he would continue to represent the Republic of Ireland, through family qualification, or England? “No,” he says. “I’ve always been good at handling stuff mentally. I knew the new contract would happen. It was a long wait but I was aware that, if I started thinking about it too much, it would distract me. We were playing vital games and you just can’t let stuff like that distract you.

“I knew by playing in all the games and doing well that something had to give and the contract would come — and I was delighted to sign it. I saw other clubs mentioned but it would have been disrespectful of me to have considered leaving West Ham and my team-mates. My intentions were always to stay here and I feel this is the best place for me.

“With regard to my international future, myself, my dad and my brother [Connor] have talked with Ireland coach Mick McCarthy and I’ve also spoken to Gareth Southgate. They’ve both said that whenever I’m ready, it’s up to me to make a decision. There was so much going on earlier in the season but now most of that has been sorted, so I will make a decision soon.

“As for now, I want to play at the top level throughout my career. I want to win trophies, even the Champions League. You have to be ambitious. If not, what’s the point?

“I’ve seen comparisons between myself and Bobby Moore. It’s nice to be told there are similarities but nobody will come close to him — what a player, what a man! Just to be mentioned in the same breath as Bobby is something really special for me. I know I still have a lot to learn. If you’re not learning, you don’t progress.”

So, is Rice excited about the prospect of his latest challenge: Saturday’s derby against Arsenal?

I want to win trophies, even the Champions League. You have to be ambitious. If not, what’s the point? Declan Rice

“Yes,” he says. “But, as I said to Mark Noble before the Liverpool game, ‘It’s just another game of football’. Before every game I get a text from my dad. It says, ‘Start quick, start well, win your first header, your first tackle’. I see it like playing with my mates. I know it’s the Premier League, but if you think too much about things, you get caught up in the occasion.

“I go out there and try to play well. If I do, that’s good, move on to the next one. If I don’t, that’s football, so try to bounce back. That’s really how I see it.”