Story by
Declan Rice injury fears sparked ahead of Arsenal vs Chelsea derby
- Story by
- Declan Rice injury fears sparked ahead of Arsenal vs Chelsea derby
Declan Rice injury fears sparked ahead of Arsenal vs Chelsea derby
Fears have raised over Declan Rice 's involvement against Chelsea after the midfielder, and Cristhian Mosquera , were not spotted with the Arsenal squad on Sunday morning,
The Gunners squad were recorded returning from their traditional pre-match walk ahead of the London derby, and Rice was absent from video footage posted on social media .
Advertisement
There have been no suggestions that Rice is injured or a fitness concern ahead of the visit of the Blues, despite coming off in the second half against Aston Villa on Monday.
The midfielder was pictured in training ahead of the game, but Rice was not spotted with his team-mates, and his absence has sparked concerns over his availability among fans online.
A list of first-team players spotted in the video include: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Riccardo Calafiori, Max Dowman, Eberechi Eze, Gabriel, Bruno Guimaraes, Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz, Piero Hincapie, Ezri Konsa , Myles Lewis-Skelly, Noni Madueke, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard, David Raya, Marli Salmon, Bukayo Saka, Christian Tzolis, Ben White and Martin Zubimendi.
Advertisement
One expected absentee was Mosquera, who was withdrawn at Villa Park.
Asked on Friday for an update on Mosquera's fitness, Arteta played down concerns.
Arteta said: "It was more precaution than anything else. We will have to see tomorrow in the session how he feels."
Mosquera's absence paves the way for Konsa to make his full debut for the club following his £55million summer arrival.
Jurrien Timber was tipped by Arteta to be in contention on Sunday after returning from training ahead of schedule.
The defender yet to feature this season after undergoing minor surgery over the summer, and was not expected to return until later in September.
And it appears that Sunday's game has come too soon after also seemingly being absent from the pre-match walk with the first-team squad.
