Mikel Arteta has issued an update on the fitness of key first-team players ahead of our first game of 2026 against Bournemouth on Saturday.
Declan Rice missed our 4-1 victory over Aston Villa on Tuesday with knee inflammation, but having not seen him train since Tuesday, the boss is waiting to see how Friday goes before making a decision on the England midfielder.
“We have another session today, let’s see how he comes today and how that’s feeling, but [the Villa game] was too early for him,” the boss said at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.
“Sometimes you get a hit and, throughout the game, you are able, with adrenaline and because you are warm, able to sustain that, and then the body reacts.