Arsenal were given a scare as record signing Declan Rice was withdrawn at half time against Tottenham Hotspur with a suspected injury.
The England International was replaced by Jorginho, who went on to commit a major error leading to the visitors’ equaliser, and there was a lot of concern over Rice’s fitness.
Mikel Arteta even admitted that he was worried about Rice, who had asked him to come off, but there is now positive news regarding his back injury.
The Guardian have now reported that the 24-year-old has merely suffered a minor knock, and that he should be fine to travel to Bournemouth for Arsenal’s next Premier League game on Saturday.
Arsenal face a trip to Brentford in the Carabao Cup prior to that, but it seems highly unlikely that he will be risked in the fixture anyway, with plenty of changes to the lineup expected.
Massive relief
Losing Rice for an extended period would have been a complete disaster for Arsenal, and with a huge game against Manchester City on the horizon, Rice’s presence could have a result-changing impact on the team.
With Thomas Partey also injured, Jorginho will have been next up in the pecking order, and his disastrous performance in the North London derby has put even more pressure on Rice to stay fit for now.
Rice has been exceptional since his arrival from West Ham United in the summer, with Jamie Carragher labelling him as “outstanding,” and his absence was clearly felt in the second half on Sunday.
Arsenal will be cautious over potentially losing him for a long period of time, but they will also be incredibly relieved that his back injury is nothing serious.
Arsenal lost William Saliba for over two months with a back injury last season, which ultimately proved costly in the Premier League title race, and having a similar issue with another top player in Rice would have likely had a similar detrimental impact on the team.
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