Arsenal are hoping Declan Rice has escaped injury and will be a big boost ahead of Saturday’s crucial game against Aston Villa. The burly midfielder, who played a key role in Wednesday night’s win over Brentford, was substituted with seven minutes left due to a calf problem.
Rice was seen gesturing towards the back of his calf as he received treatment, but there was optimism within the club last night that the England international was simply exhausted from another grueling stint in midfield. The 26-year-old was able to walk around the pitch after the match to thank the home crowd and assured Sky Sports he was “fine” as he left the Emirates Stadium.
Rice will be tested before Arsenal’s training on Friday, but it is currently expected that he will be fit for this weekend’s trip to Villa Park despite a quick recovery.
“He (Rice) can walk, but he can’t play,” manager Mikel Arteta said after his side regained a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal are currently anxiously awaiting news on whether Cristian Mosquera has been injured. The Spain Under-21 centre-back appeared to twist his foot on the grass after jumping up to challenge forward Kevin Shade in an aerial duel.
Initially, he felt pain in his ankle and then fell to the ground, but upon receiving treatment, it appeared that he also felt discomfort around his knee.
Arteta admitted on Wednesday night that the extent of Mosquela’s injury remains unclear, explaining: “Yes, we have to wait and see. Maybe it’s part of his knee or ankle, I don’t know. He couldn’t tell us exactly what condition he was in, but he couldn’t continue in the game.”
William Saliba was watching the action from behind Arsenal’s dugout and it is hoped the French defender could feature against Villa to ease Arteta’s defensive concerns.
The 24-year-old received a knock during the final training session ahead of the 1-1 stalemate with Chelsea and will undergo a fitness assessment before the team departs for the Midlands on Friday.
Leandro Trossard is also struggling to show he is ready for the game after suffering a calf problem in the 3-1 Champions League win over Bayern Munich.
Pierrot Hincapie endured a brutal clash of heads with Brentford forward Igor Thiago but managed to see the game through.
