Declan Rice adds to Arsenal injury crisis by missing Aston Villa clash | OneFootball

Declan Rice has added to Arsenal’s injury crisis after missing the crunch clash with Aston Villa due to a knee issue.

Talismanic midfielder Rice sustained the knee injury during the weekend’s 2-1 win over Brighton, where he was forced into duty as an emergency right-back due to other injuries, but was able to complete the match and was hopeful of being fit to face Premier League title rivals Villa.

However, the 26-year-old wasn’t able to recover in time and has been left out of the squad to avoid aggravating the issue further. Although the full extent of the injury is not yet clear, the current expectation is that his absence will only be a short-term one.

“Declan got a big kick in his knee during the match [against Brighton], at the start of the match actually, and by the time he finished the match he had a massive swell up,” Gunners boss Mikel Arteta explained in his pre-match comments for the Villa clash. “The game was too early for him to consider.”

When asked if it was a short-term injury for the England international, Arteta added: “I think so. I hope that when the swelling comes out he can function [and] he will be fine. We miss Riccy [Calafiori] as well today.”

Rice’s injury followed a slew of Arsenal injuries across the Christmas period, especially in defence. Riccardo Calafiori was a late withdrawal before the Brighton clash, due to an injury sustained in the warm-up, while likes of Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber, Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera have all missed games.

“There's something with Richy as well, very, very strange,” Arteta said about Calafiori once he’d dropped out of the Seagulls clash during the warm-up. “It's something that he felt yesterday, it's something very awkward that happened and today in the warm-up, he wasn't comfortable.”

Riccardo Calafiori is sidelined for the Gunners as well (Getty Images)

Amid the Rice woe, there were however a few positives on the teamsheet to face Villa with Timber having recovered to start at right-back and Gabriel – whose absence since 8 November ended with a substitute appearance against Brighton – fit enough to start at centre-back alongside Saliba. That meant Piero Hincapie was moved out to left-back, where he finished the clash against the Seagulls.

White has also recovered ahead of scheduled and deemed fit enough for the bench against Villa, where he was joined by Kai Havertz, who has been out since injuring his knee on the opening day of the season.

“Quite close,” said Arteta about Havertz’s potential return before the Brighton game. “I think it will be a matter of days, not weeks. Let’s see in the next steps how he responds to that. But he is, again, a player that we missed a lot, a player that brings the team into a different dimension. So, I am really happy to have him back soon.”