Declan Rice was forced off with a minor issue during Arsenal’s win over Chelsea, but an injury expert is not overly concerned that the midfielder will miss much football.
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Rice will be assessed ahead of the Gunners’ clash with Brighton on Wednesday at the South Coast.
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The North London club will be hoping that the scans show no signs of any damage and the midfielder is passed fit to feature at the AMEX Stadium.
Ahead of the assessments scheduled at London Colney, an injury expert has been discussing the potential situation.
Declan Rice most likely suffered muscle tightness vs Chelsea
Declan Rice most likely suffered muscle tightness in his thigh during Arsenal’s win over Chelsea, according to Physio Scout.
The injury expert claims that such issues tend to settle quickly, meaning it could be touch and go for the midfielder to return against the Seagulls.
Rice sustained the issue after sprinting back to stop a Pedro Neto counterattack in the second half, and he looked in some discomfort afterwards.
The only worry is that such actions can sometimes be a minor muscular strain, which would mean he is sidelined for a few weeks.
Muscle strains tend to take between two and four weeks to recover from, which would make him a doubt for the Carabao Cup final.
Over recent weeks, Rice has looked shattered, but Arteta has very little choice but to keep playing them, given his lack of midfield alternatives.
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Meanwhile, Martin Zubimendi has also looked off the pace, showing that the Gunners might have made a small mistake by not adding another midfielder.
Arsenal fans want Christian Norgaard given more minutes; however, the former Brentford captain does not appear to be trusted to start big matches.
Another alternative option could be reverting to playing two number tens, similar to how Arteta set the team up against Wigan.
But with just two days until their trip to the South Coast, it feels like it would be silly for the Gunners to rush Rice back.
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