Declan Rice gives Thomas Tuchel what he wants after Arsenal injury scare
Declan Rice attended England's defeat to Spain at Wembley(Image: Silvina Brodersohn - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Declan Rice was spotted at Wembley Stadium after England’s defeat to Spain in the Nations League on Saturday night. The Arsenal star withdrew from the Three Lions' squad earlier in the week for the round matches during the extended international break.
As reported by football.london, the decision for Rice to withdraw from the England squad was due to concerns over load management over the midfielder’s fitness.
Rice has been a key figure in Arsenal’s engine room ever since his arrival from West Ham in the summer of 2023, but has been forced to deal with a neutral hamstring problem ever since the World Cup.
England suffered a 3-2 defeat to Spain in the Nations League, but Rice was still in attendance to show his support for his teammates despite no longer being part of the squad.
Rice was spotted walking through the mixed zone just over an hour after the final whistle at Wembley, but was not wearing any England gear.
Despite not being part of the squad for the clash against the reigning World and European champions, England boss Thomas Tuchel will still be happy that Rice showed his support for the team.
England captain Harry Kane spoke about Rice’s absence earlier in the week, revealing that he had a conversation with the Arsenal star.
“I spoke to Dec, and I know Dec goes far and beyond for the club and country, so I know how much he gives and I know he's been struggling for a while with his issues,” Kane told reporters in the week.
“So someone like Dec has to get himself sorted and get himself fresh, and he has big games for club, big games for country, coming up.”
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Rice spoke about the amount of games he’s been playing for Arsenal in recent years, having featured 69 times for both the Gunners and England during the 2025/26 season.
“I think for the last six seasons, even since my West Ham days when it was in Europe, I've played 60 plus every season,” Rice said earlier this month. “So I think it is sustainable because I've shown that I can do it.
“It's just about maintaining it, maintaining the level and the consistency of the performances.
"For me, that's the main thing, showing up every week, giving a good account of myself and helping the team win. I've been lucky enough to be able to do that. So I'm really hungry to be able to do that again this season.”
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