While desperately trying to be as coy as possible, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta inadvertently hinted at Declan Rice’s participation in training ahead of a crunch set of fixtures over the coming weeks. The news for Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori was not as encouraging.
Arsenal’s talismanic midfield presence was sorely missed against Aston Villa on Tuesday night. Despite the lopsided 4–1 scoreline, the Gunners struggled for most of the first half to contain Villa’s repeated surges straight through the middle of the pitch—an area notably missing Rice.
