Arsenal fans believe they are “cursed” after finding out about Declan Rice’s injury history prior to signing for the club.
The Gunners faithful were left scratching their heads as their £105million midfielder was substituted off at half-time in Sunday's north London derby. With the game in the balance at 1-1, it emerged that the Englishman had suffered an injury as the camera panned to him sporting a furious facial expression.
His side were only able to muster a 2-2 draw in his absence against bitter rivals Tottenham. And manager Mikel Arteta revealed post-game that Rice struggled with a back issue before being taken off at the break.
READ MORE: Declan Rice injury update provided by Mikel Arteta after star subbed off vs Tottenham
READ MORE: Four things Mikel Arteta got wrong as Arsenal fail to beat Tottenham in North London Derby
Arteta said: “Yeah he had some discomfort in his back and he was telling us during the first half he wasn’t comfortable and when we assessed him at half-time he couldn’t continue.”
Asked whether Rice faced a spell out of the side, the Spaniard added: “Hopefully not. We have to assess him because it’s strange that a player like him asks to come off because he wasn’t comfortable so hopefully not but let’s see.”
Do you think Arsenal are cursed when it comes to injuries? Let us know in the comments section below
It comes as just the latest in a long list of injuries for the Gunners, who currently have Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard all in the treatment room. To add salt to Arsenal wounds, Rice had never been injured prior to joining the north Londoners.
He had only missed seven games back in 2018/19 due to illness – and his sudden change in fortune is eerily similar to central-midfield partner Partey – who had a flawless record before his arrival in 2020. The Ghanaian has since been riddled with injury, something the Arsenal faithful will hope will not happen with Rice as they vented their frustrations on social media.
As well as the Champions League, TNT Sports will also be offering sports fans access to games across the Premier League, Europa League, Serie A and much more.
You can also watch the biggest events in boxing, UFC, WWE and get exclusive action from MLB.
£29.99 per month on top of £8.99 per month Amazon Prime subscription
One Twitter user fumed: “Partey was never injured at ATM now never played full season at Arsenal. Declan was never injured at West Ham now he’s out.”
Another tweeted: “I acc can’t believe it, Declan Rice with 0 injury history, gets injured. We’re cursed,” while a third added: “Should start believing in curses at this point. This is not natural.”
Others fumed: “I don’t remember Rice ever being injured at West Ham and it took us one month to break him,” and: “SACK THE ENTIRE MEDICAL TEAM.”
Source: Read Full Article
