Declan Rice has allayed fears over a potential injury after being substituted during Arsenal's 2-1 victory over Chelsea on Sunday. The midfielder was forced off in the 76th minute after appearing to pull up while sprinting back to defend a Chelsea counter-attack.
Rice was seen grimacing and trying to stretch before being replaced by Christian Norgaard. However, the 26-year-old later posted a positive message on Instagram, sharing a photo of himself celebrating with the caption 'keep pushing' alongside a smiley face and heart emoji, suggesting he is not seriously injured.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted after the match that he was unsure of the extent of Rice's issue. 'I don't know. Declan had to be substituted, so he's going to have to get checked and see if he's available for Wednesday, unfortunately,' Arteta said.
The Gunners face Brighton on Wednesday night before a busy schedule that includes an FA Cup tie against Mansfield Town and a Champions League last-16 first leg against Bayer Leverkusen. Arteta confirmed he will rotate his squad for the Brighton game to keep players fresh.
Goalkeeper David Raya also appeared to pick up a knock late in the match but Arteta was similarly uncertain about his condition. 'I don't know what happened in that action. He had some niggles this week so I don't know if he's related to that,' Arteta said.
