Declan Rice Injury: Progress & Return date for Arsenal midfielder

Currently, Arsenal fans are sweating over the Declan Rice injury. However, we will provide a look into his progress and potential return date.

Declan Rice missed the international break for England. This is despite being a sure starter in the midfield. Before the international break begun, Declan Rice made himself unavailable, over injury concerns.

This naturally raised eyebrows for Arsenal fans. Considering the busy festive period, they do not wish to be without one of their most important players.

It was especially confusing, considering Declan Rice played against Chelsea before the international break. However, he was subbed off after 71 minutes.

What injury does Declan Rice have?

Declan Rice has a foot injury. Against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League, Rice missed the match due to reports he'd broken his toe against Newcastle.

Declan Rice did persevere, though, and played against Chelsea. However, he was clearly in discomfort for the London derby, as he wasn't able to provide the engine he usually does and he made it to just over one hour.

When will Declan Rice return from injury?

Since the November international break, Declan Rice has returned from injury. Speaking ahead of the match against Nottingham Forest this weekend, Mikel Arteta confirmed that Rice is back in training.

In his own words (quoted by Simon Collings of The Standard), Mikel Arteta said: "Bukayo and Declan as well they had their first session, today, a partial session."

So, Declan Rice is available for selection at the weekend. However, whether he is fully match fit remains to be seen.

Who can replace Declan Rice at Arsenal?

Hopefully, Declan Rice does not need replacing. It seems that he is back in training and as one of Arsenal's most important players, he is more than likely to start against Nottingham Forest.

However, if Declan Rice is deemed unfit to start the match or play the entire 90 minutes, Mikel Arteta is thankful that his other midfield options are strong. A midfield three of Rice-Odegaard-Merino is the strongest.

Failing this, Thomas Partey could replace Declan Rice at Arsenal.

Is Declan Rice available for Fantasy Football?

Mikel Arteta is notorious among the Fantasy Football community for not answering fully whether his players are available. There will be question marks around the "Partial training" comment.

However, the objective should be to play Declan Rice, if possible. He played through the pain against Chelsea due to how important he is. So, he should start this weekend.

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