Declan Rice has revealed he has been playing through nerve pain in his hamstring since Christmas, describing the gruelling schedule that saw him feature in 63 matches this season as "obscene". The England midfielder was substituted in the 72nd minute of the 4-2 World Cup win against Croatia last Wednesday, sparking concerns over his fitness.
Rice confirms fitness for Ghana clash
Speaking to ITV Sport, Rice explained that the problem is neural pain in his upper hamstring that radiates into his lower back. However, he described his substitution as a "smart decision" and declared himself ready for Tuesday's group match against Ghana in Boston. "I'm ready and fit, raring to go," he said. "I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that."
Rice added that the final 20 minutes of a match are where players are most vulnerable to injury, and that his early exit allowed him to recover fully. "In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it's where you play a 70‑minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good."
Rice reflects on 'obscene' season workload
Rice has played 55 matches for Arsenal and eight for England this season, including runs to the Champions League and Carabao Cup finals and a Premier League title win. "It's an obscene amount of games," he said. "The schedule was crazy but what can we do about it? You can't sit and complain. We have to just get on with it for the moments like I had in the Premier League, winning that Premier League. You know you'd play as many games as possible to have that feeling again and knowing that there's a World Cup at the end of it as well."
The midfielder acknowledged the physical toll but emphasised the rewards, adding, "You know you'd put your body on the line to be always in to play. It's a lot of games but we'll get our break at the end."
England adapt to heat and humidity
England began a hot-weather acclimatisation camp in Florida at the start of June, aware that heat and humidity in North America are major challenges. The Croatia match was played in Dallas's domed, air-conditioned stadium at 22C, and similar conditions are forecast for Boston's open-air stadium for the 4pm local kick-off (9pm BST). Rice said manager Thomas Tuchel has reassured the squad that they are conditioned to cope. "The heat's going to dictate [our playing style] in spells but the manager's been really clear with us and with this squad that we have the strength and power to outrun and outplay teams with our strength," Rice said.
Bukayo Saka managed carefully
Rice also discussed the fitness of Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka, who has been managing an achilles problem and was only fit enough to play as a 72nd-minute substitute against Croatia. Saka set up Marcus Rashford's goal and followed an individual training programme on Saturday, but is not expected to start against Ghana. Noni Madueke is likely to continue on the right wing. "Bukayo will impact this tournament," Rice said. "It's really good the way we're managing him. I think the amount of football he's played – I've seen him at Arsenal – this little achilles problem he's got. I think we're managing him the right way, for sure."
Rice added, "I don't think you want to put him in straight away and put him at risk. We need to keep building him in. He's been training really well. He came on and had an amazing impact the other night. He's one of the biggest game players I've played with and he wants to play every game. But here he's being smart. And we also have Noni who, for me, has been unbelievable."
William Saliba grits teeth through pain
France defender William Saliba, another Arsenal player, has also pushed through pain this season. He admitted ahead of Monday's match against Iraq, "I've had some minor niggles for several months. I've been gritting my teeth because there was the Champions League and the Premier League. But the coaching staff are handling it very well. The World Cup comes round only once every four years so you've got to grit your teeth. I'm not at 100% but there are plenty of players who aren't at 100% either – you can't make excuses."
Ollie Watkins ready to be supersub
Ollie Watkins has revealed he has taken Michael Owen's advice to be nastier on the pitch and is ready to be England's impact substitute again. The Aston Villa striker scored eight goals in his last 10 Premier League games to earn a late recall from Tuchel and scored the winner against the Netherlands at Euro 2024. "I feel like I understand the competition now, I understand that everyone has their moment," he said. "I watch the game when I'm on the bench, I can see the game opens up. There's so many more opportunities when you come on, a lot of people are tired, they lose focus and sometimes it can be better to be a substitute than to start the game."
