Declan Rice injury return timeline as extent of Arsenal midfielder problem emerges

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice is determined to play through the pain barrier despite breaking his toe during the 1-0 defeat against Newcastle last Saturday.

The 25-year-old missed the 1-0 defeat at Inter Milan on Wednesday but is eager to be back in action for the trip to Chelsea this weekend. Rice has been included in the England squad for two Nations League fixtures against Greece and Republic of Ireland and there is optimism surrounding his condition.

Rice struggled to put a boot on earlier this week and could not train properly, which forced him to sit out of the Champions League game against Inter. However, players do play with broken toes and Arsenal are hoping that it will not stop their star midfielder from featuring in Sunday's London derby.

The prognosis for a broken toe is said to be 'four to six weeks', but players can generally make a quicker recovery and play through the pain which Rice is determined to do. The England international has missed just one game for the Gunners since joining the club for £105million from West Ham in July 2023.

Speaking about Rice's injury before the defeat to Inter in the Champions League, Arteta said: "Declan unfortunately picked up an injury against Newcastle.

"It is a knock, a problem on his foot, and he wasn't comfortable to put his boots on so at the moment he is not fit. He wasn't feeling good the last few days. We'll have to assess him on Thursday and see if he's ready for Chelsea."

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Mikel Arteta could do with having Rice available for the clash with Chelsea as Arsenal continue to struggle. In fact, the Gunners have not won any of their last three Premier League matches, including successive defeats against Bournemouth and Newcastle.

That run of form has dropped them down to fifth in the table, five behind second-place Manchester City and seven adrift of Liverpool at the top. A trip to Stamford Bridge doesn't represent the kindest opportunity for Arsenal to pick up points, but Arteta will be determined to pick his side up and get them the win they need.