What Declan Rice has already said about playing as Arsenal’s striker is now very interesting after Kai Havertz’s injury

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Mikel Arteta will have to think outside the box to solve Arsenal’s injury issues in attack.

The Gunners lost Gabriel Jesus to a season-ending injury in January. That should’ve convinced the board to sanction a move for a new striker, but they didn’t.

Now, Kai Havertz has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after the German suffered a serious hamstring injury in Dubai.

Arsenal will need help in attack now, and an unlikely option in that false-nine role could be Declan Rice.

Declan Rice’s comments on playing as a striker for Arsenal

Rice is one of the most complete footballers on the planet.

The Englishman can play anywhere across the midfield and also in central defence. He is great on the ball, can pull off incredible passes and his ability to drive past defenders is up there with the best.

Rice is one of the first names on the team sheet in the middle of the park for Arsenal, but Arteta could consider moving him higher up the pitch.

With Havertz and Jesus both out for the season, Rice could work in an unconventional striker role, and the former West Ham man has already made an interesting claim about the same.

Rice claimed that he would score over 20 goals a season if he played as a striker at Arsenal. Arteta should take him up on it.

When asked to name the position he would play in if he could change, Rice said in November last year: “Number nine! Big target man!”

He was then asked how many goals he would score if he played up top. “A season? 20 plus,” he confidently said.

Arsenal fans react to Rice as a striker option

Arsenal have just three fit attackers at the moment – Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri.

Those three are expected to start in attack against Leicester City, but they cannot play every minute of every game in the coming months.

Rice as a striker is an idea being discussed by several Arsenal fans on social media.

One Arsenal fan said: “I would play Declan Rice as a striker. His shooting is good. He’s got the legs and physical posture.”

Another tweeted: “I reckon we stick Declan Rice up front. Similar running power and endurance to Havertz, could he do a job there?”

“I’d put Rice up front, Trossard left-wing and Nwareni right-wing. Jorginho, Partey Odegaard in midfield,” wrote another fan.