A key Arsenal player has received praise from his international manager after putting in an ‘outstanding’ display on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta will be hoping to have his players back at London Colney this week without any fresh injury concerns.
The Gunners face a huge clash at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City on Sunday and Bukayo Saka has already been withdrawn from the England squad.
It meant that the 22-year-old missed out on England’s friendly against Brazil last night. But one Arsenal player who did feature was Declan Rice.
The 25-year-old played the full 90 minutes in the middle of the park as Gareth Southgate’s men suffered a 1-0 defeat at Wembley.
Despite being on the wrong end of the result, Rice impressed with yet another composed display in midfield.
Southgate amazed by Rice’s latest England display
Speaking after a disappointing evening for the Three Lions, Southgate singled out Rice for praise and suggested the Gunners man stepped up his game even further recently.
“I thought Declan was outstanding throughout the game, with and without the ball showed the next step that he has gone to,” the England boss told Hayters TV.
“He’s a crucial player for us anyway but he looked totally at home in that sort of environment.
“We’re short of a few, we don’t have a lot of midfield players that play as sixes in the league. That’s why we’ve brought Kobbie [Mainoo] in and got him on the pitch as well.”
How many caps has Rice earned for England?
Rice made his 48th appearance for England last night and once again displayed his importance to Southgate’s side.
The Three Lions were underwhelming on the night and struggled to create opportunities without the likes of Saka and Harry Kane in the side.
Southgate opted for Conor Gallagher to play alongside Rice and Jude Bellingham in the middle of the park. But it’s fair to say that the Chelsea man didn’t enjoy his best evening.
Yet, Arsenal fans will be encouraged by yet another dominant display from Rice in the middle of the park. The former West Ham man has thrived for Arteta’s side in recent weeks and faces a huge set of fixtures after the international break.
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