Mikel Arteta will be wary of the fitness of Declan Rice as the midfielder is nursing a significant injury.
As the Arsenal squad report to international duty, some players will remain in N5 for various reasons.
Declan Rice withdrew from the England squad and will be one of the Gunners missing out on international action, joined by his Three Lions teammate Bukayo Saka.
Being a key part of Arsenal’s squad, Rice will hope to recover from his issue over the break in domestic play, with the root of his problems now made clear.
Declan Rice injury update
There was speculation that the England midfielder had suffered a toe injury in the build-up to the Gunner’s clash with Chelsea.
Arteta surprised many by naming the 25-year-old in the starting XI to play the Blues in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge however, it’s yet to be known if that was the right decision.
In his Daily Mail column, reporter Sami Mokbel shared the true extent of Rice’s injury, which will alarm those in N5.
It’s confirmed that Rice withdrew from the Three Lions’ Nations League fixtures due to a ‘broken foot’.
Mokbel reported that England medics were aware of the midfielder’s injury, advising the £105m signing to not ‘bother’ heading to St George’s Park with their own check over unnecessary in this instance.
A broken bone is never a good thing to learn a player has been nursing, putting pressure on Arteta regarding the next steps of Rice’s rehabilitation.
What Rice did to play in Arsenal draw vs Chelsea
Given what we have now learned about Rice, it’s staggering to know that he featured in the London derby at all.
The former West Ham captain managed to play 71 minutes at Stamford Bridge, with the Daily Mail’s report revealing that the Arsenal star took painkillers in order to feature.
After the game, Arteta admitted that Rice’s injury didn’t look good, with it disclosed in the aftermath that the England international wouldn’t have played had it not been a fixture as important as the derby.
There’s no clarity on how long Rice’s recovery will take, with the signs not looking positive as the November international break commences.
Related Posts
