Mikel Arteta has indicated that Declan Rice may be available for Saturday’s match against Bournemouth, contingent on whether the swelling from his knee injury subsides in time.
Rice was sidelined during the 4-1 victory over Aston Villa due to an issue sustained while playing as an impromptu right-back in the recent win against Brighton. However, the injury is not expected to keep him out for an extended period.
Arteta was queried about the England international’s potential return for the 17:30 GMT kickoff against Bournemouth and did not dismiss the possibility.
“It all depends; the swelling needs to decrease significantly for him to have a chance to play,” he stated. “He wasn’t able to manage that today, but he’s making progress. We’ll see how it develops over the next few days.”
Following their recent victory, Arsenal sits five points clear at the top of the league table, while second-placed Manchester City is set to face Sunderland on New Year’s Day.