Declan Rice Appears to Make Worrying Injury Admission to Morgan Rogers

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice appeared to make a worrying admission about his current injury while caught on camera having talk with Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers. The two Englishman were spotted in conversation following the Gunners’ 4-1 home victory against the Villans.

News of Rice’s knee injury leaked ahead of the game, sparking immediate concern among the fanbase. But with Mikel Merino taking his place, joining fellow former Real Sociedad teammates Martin Zubimendi and Martin Odegaard in midfield, Mikel Arteta’s men were still able to come away with the win.

In fact, Arsenal put in one of their best displays in recent weeks, blowing away Unai Emery’s team in the second half. Gabriel opened the scoring, outmuscling Emiliano Martinez from a corner, before Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0. Goals from Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus furthered the lead, with Ollie Watkins grabbing a late consolation at the death.

Declan Rice Speaks of Knee Injury Pain

Despite the convincing win, Arsenal will be desperate to have Rice back as soon as possible. Arteta’s side travel away to Bournemouth on Saturday, and then host Liverpool just five days later.

The English midfielder certainly looks to have been in a bad way ahead of the game. Footage has emerged, showing him in conversation with Villa ace Rogers. Rice appears to say: “My knee is just f*****, it’s terrible!”

That said, there is some debate as to whether he said ‘it is’, or ‘it was’. Either way, it appears as though he has been in some pain in the build-up to the game, rendering him a major doubt for upcoming fixtures.

Arteta Provides Latest on Rice’s Injury

News of Rice’s injury broke ahead of Villa’s visit, with the player left out to avoid the risk of aggravating the knee issue. Speaking before the game, when asked if it should be a minor injury, Arteta said: “I think so. I hope that when the swelling comes out he can function [and] he will be fine. We miss Riccy [Calafiori] as well today.”

After the game, on Rice’s availability in the coming days, the Spanish manager then added: “Depends, so that swelling has to come right down for him to have the chance to function. He wasn’t able to do that today yet, he’s improving, but let’s see what happens in the next couple of days.”

There can be no doubnting Rice’s importannce to this Arsenal team and their title hopes, with the 26-year-old playing in very Premier League game up until his current injury, scoring twice and picking up four assists. Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard recently admitted just how a big a fan he is of the Englishman, remarking:

“You get in the tunnel and think, ‘oh my god, that’s some profile for a midfielder’. If you’re building a midfielder, he’s got a body to die for.

“If you’re 6ft1in, 6ft2in, and have the legs, the power, that’s the midfielder you want to be. He was calm in possession, an animal out of it, up and down, I really like him as a person as well.”

With that in mind, from an Arsenal point of view, the sooner he can get back fit, the better.