West Ham defender Rice is at the centre of an international tug-of-war having been omitted from the latest Ireland squad as he considers switching allegiance to England.

Earlier this week Martin O’Neill revealed that the player is weighing up his international future after England spoke to him.

Speaking today at a press conference, Gareth Southgate addressed the rumours surrounding Rice's future, saying the player has yet to make a decision.

"There are so many dual nationality players, he is a good young player," Southgate said.

"He has a really difficult decision because there is a lot of pressure on him.

"I’m conscious that he’s a very young man and there’s a lot of spotlight on him.

As far as I’m concerned he’s with Ireland at the moment and as much as we think he’s a very good player, that decision has to lie with him.