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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reluctantly accepted that West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice may be out of reach this summer, per the London Evening Standard.

What’s the word?

Rice enjoyed a full breakthrough season under manager Manuel Pellegrini and was involved in England’s 3-1 Nations League semi-final defeat to the Netherlands on Thursday.

The former Chelsea youngster made 38 appearances in all-competitions in 2018/19, scoring two goals and laying on one assist from a defensive midfield position.

He has long been linked with a move to United, with a bid in excess of £50m mooted by The Independent in April. However, the Standard now claim that Solskjaer has admitted defeat in his bid to secure the Three Lions international.

A major boost

This is a huge boost for the Hammers, who now have no imminent worries over the future of the defensive midfielder.

There had been concerns, per Football FanCast sources, that a major club could table a big bid for Rice this summer.

That could well still happen – Manchester City have also been credited with an interest – but it appears unlikely now, with Sky Sports claiming that Txiki Begiristain has identified Rodri as the number one replacement for Fernandinho.

The Hammers, then, look set to keep one of their prize assets as Pellegrini looks to reshape his squad ahead of the 2019/20 season.

It allows the club the freedom to manoeuvre in the transfer market without the fear of losing perhaps their best player.

Everyone in east London will surely be breathing a sigh of relief.