Declan Rice was forced off with an injury during Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, with the midfielder in the unusual position of not being fully fit
Declan Rice has demonstrated his resilient mindset in the face of injury setbacks, having been forced off during Arsenal’s clash with Crystal Palace.
The Gunners midfielder was withdrawn late in Sunday’s 1-0 triumph over the Eagles following a knock to his right leg. Since completing his £105million switch from West Ham in 2023, Rice has featured in 116 matches for Arsenal and boasts an excellent fitness record, with his lengthiest absence occurring during his spell in east London.
That came in April 2021 when the England international was ruled out of six league fixtures after sustaining a lateral knee ligament problem whilst representing his country.
Rice had featured in every single minute of West Ham’s league campaign leading up to that setback, yet still managed to recover in time to start their final three matches of that season.
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Whilst Rice’s latest knock isn’t anticipated to be as serious as his previous injury during his Hammers days, Mikel Arteta disclosed that the midfielder had been carrying the problem from early in the contest before attempting to continue.
Speaking after the win, the Arsenal manager told football.london: “Well, the first one was Willy [William Saliba] that obviously had to be out after the first half, Declan as well was struggling from the first half with a knock that he took, and who was the other one? Ricky. As well. So yeah, let’s see how that will go.”
He added: “On Willy there are two things related to his substitution and with Declan I don’t really know because it was a knock. But I don’t know if it was the calf or the Achilles or what exactly it was.”
Gunners supporters can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that whilst injuries aren’t something Rice is accustomed to experiencing, his complete attention will be dedicated to backing his colleagues and grafting relentlessly to ensure a rapid comeback, based on his previous remarks whilst sidelined at West Ham.
Speaking in 2021, Rice said: “I’m of course disappointed to have picked up this injury but I’m in good spirits, have started my rehab already and hope to be back on the pitch with the lads soon. While I’m not able to be out there, I’ll be giving everything I can to work towards that and supporting the team as we look to continue our very positive season.”
He’s already demonstrated his backing for the squad since sustaining the knock, taking to Instagram to share an image of himself celebrating after the final whistle with the caption: “+3 [points]against a tough opponent. Let’s keep building [brick emoji].”
His social media engagement continued as he subsequently shared a graphic from the official Arsenal Instagram account, featuring the club’s iconic chant: “One-nil, to The Arsenal,” before adding: “Onto the next [loveheart emoji].”
Arsenal’s excellent start to the season has seen them establish a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League, currently on a four-match winning streak, keeping four clean sheets in the process.
