Arsenal receive Declan Rice fitness update ahead of international break

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has withdrawn from the England squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures due to an injury issue.

The 27-year-old was initially included in Thomas Tuchel’s 27-man squad for the extended international window but will now remain away from England duty.

Rice completed the full 90 minutes of Arsenal’s 3-0 Premier League defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.

England have not disclosed the precise nature or severity of his problem, although his withdrawal gives Arsenal an opportunity to carefully manage one of their most heavily-used players.

The Gunners have already been monitoring Rice’s workload after a demanding 2025-26 campaign in which he made 69 appearances for club and country.

Rice also revealed during the World Cup that he had been managing neural pain affecting his back and hamstring following a hamstring injury last December.

Despite those concerns, the midfielder recently insisted he felt capable of handling another campaign involving more than 60 appearances.

His latest withdrawal will therefore be of interest to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, particularly with the champions facing another demanding schedule across four competitions.

Rice is one of five players to have pulled out of Tuchel’s squad.

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, Manchester United pair Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo and Newcastle United defender Tino Livramento have also withdrawn because of respective injury issues.

Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White and Everton’s James Garner have subsequently been added to the squad and will report to St George’s Park alongside the remaining players on Tuesday.

Rice’s absence is significant for England given his established importance in midfield and his involvement during their run to third place at the World Cup this summer.

He was also one of five Arsenal players originally selected by Tuchel, alongside Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ezri Konsa.

England face four matches during the extended international window as they begin their 2026-27 Nations League campaign.

The Three Lions host world champions Spain at Wembley on September 26 before facing Czechia in Prague three days later.

They then travel to Rijeka to play Croatia on October 3 before completing the window against Czechia at Wembley on October 6.

For Arsenal, the priority will now be ensuring Rice is ready to return after the break as Arteta’s side look to respond to their first defeat of the season.

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