Declan Rice’s five-word message after Arsenal injury concern against West Ham

Declan Rice was forced off through potential injury during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over West Ham on Saturday, but the midfielder is evidently in good spirits as he looks ahead to the upcoming international break

Declan Rice has hailed Arsenal’s win over West Ham United, despite being withdrawn from the pitch with a potential injury. The Gunners secured a commanding 2-0 victory at the Emirates after the midfielder broke the deadlock against his former club.

The England star returned to Mikel Arteta’s starting XI following his rest during Champions League duties. Given greater freedom to venture forward in Martin Odegaard’s absence through injury, Rice found himself perfectly positioned in the penalty area to pounce on a loose ball and fire Arsenal ahead.

However, Rice didn’t escape the encounter unscathed, as he was forced to leave the field during its closing stages. By that stage, the north London outfit had already extended their advantage through Bukayo Saka’s spot-kick, following El Hadji Malick Diouf’s foul on Jurrien Timber.

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After 78 minutes, Rice slumped to the ground clutching his back, leaving Arteta potentially facing another key player’s injury setback. The 26-year-old was swiftly replaced by Mikel Merino, with supporters hoping it was merely a minor knock.

Rice was spotted moving comfortably at the final whistle whilst acknowledging the Arsenal faithful, and on social media, the Gunners star appeared concentrated on the crucial three points that sent them top of the table. Alongside a photo of him celebrating, he wrote: “Important win going into the break.”

Meanwhile, on his Instagram story, Rice added: “See you after the break,” hinting that the knock won’t be too problematic in the grand scheme of things. England supporters will be crossing their fingers that his substitution doesn’t signal his exclusion from Thomas Tuchel’s squad, and that Rice is solely addressing Arsenal in his latter message.

After the match, Arteta hinted that Rice would require evaluation, while offering no reassurance whatsoever. He said during his press conference: “Well, he’s not alright because he asked me to come off, so that’s a shame. So, he had pain in his back and he could not carry on, which is something very unusual for Declan, so we’ll have to assess him and see how he is.”

Arsenal will make the brief journey to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham when they return to Premier League duties in a fortnight’s time. They will host Atletico Madrid in north London just days later.

Should Rice be considered sufficiently fit, England have encounters against Wales and Latvia to navigate. Those with Arsenal allegiances will be hoping he comes back without injury.

Arteta has already held discussions with Three Lions manager Tuchel regarding Bukayo Saka’s fitness management. He said: “We’re always talking, Thomas and I.

“We’re always in very fluent communication, both ways. First of all, from my side, to give him feedback on where each of the players are, and after, when they’ve been in camp as well, to reflect and learn how everything has gone.

“So I’m sure we’ll do that, and so far it’s been very fluent and very positive communication.”

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