Arsenal sweat over ‘best player in the league’ after confirmed injury news
Arsenal are facing a nervous wait on the availability of Declan Rice ahead of Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa.
Rice was forced off against Brentford on Wednesday, with the midfielder reportedly suffering from a calf issue.
The England international’s superb performance helped Arsenal beat Brentford 2-0, with Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka getting the goals.
But his absence would prove massively damaging for the Gunners, who lack a player capable of doing the same job.
Arsenal are strong favourites to win the Premier League this season, but will face one of their toughest tests yet on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta offers injury updates
Cristhian Mosquera was also injured against Brentford, with the defender landing awkwardly after winning a header in the first half.
In his pre-match press conference on Friday, Mikel Arteta confirmed that the 21-year-old has suffered an ankle issue.
“That’s the more complicated one, but again, we have another test today to see where we are with them,” the Arsenal boss said.
“We need to know, because the feeling that we had after the game and yesterday, we need to corroborate with what happens with all the testing that we do today.”
William Saliba and Leandro Trossard have also been missing over the last week, with Arteta hesitant to rule either player out of Saturday’s game.
On Rice, he said: “Well, let’s see. We have another training session in the afternoon. Every hour is going to be very important to see the availability of the players. After that, we’ll decide which ones.”
‘Best in the league’ Declan Rice will be key against Aston Villa
Arsenal have faced numerous injury issues already this season, but the Gunners are yet to be tested without Rice.
Speaking about the midfielder, Stephen Warnock told WhichBookie: “I could pick out of a lot of the Arsenal team when it comes to who I think has been the best this season, but Declan Rice has been outstanding.
| Declan Rice | Premier League 2025-26 |
| Appearances | 14 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 3 |
| Chances created | 25 |
| Successful dribbles | 7 |
| Duels won | 48 |
“He’s the best player in the league at the moment. He’s been phenomenal this season and it suits him playing higher up the pitch.“
Rice’s presence will be especially key on Saturday, too, considering the strength of Villa‘s midfield.
Amadou Onana, John McGinn, and Boubacar Kamara offer strong, powerful and technically superb figures for Unai Emery, while maestro Youri Tielemans can be a big influence from the bench, too.
Should Rice be unavailable, Arteta will likely opt for a midfield three of Martin Odegaard, Martin Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze – a certain physical mismatch.