Mikel Arteta discusses whether he will deploy Declan Rice as Arsenal’s centre-back in light of Gabriel Magalhaes’s injury. Gabriel Magalhaes’ injury will necessitate Arsenal to manage the remaining months of the season without him.
Gabriel was substituted after the first 15 minutes of Tuesday night’s Premier League match against Fulham due to a hamstring injury. Arsenal has now confirmed that the Brazil international will undergo surgery to address his injury in the near future. Subsequently, he will undergo rehabilitation.
In a statement, the Gunners verified that Gabriel’s objective is to be prepared for the commencement of the upcoming season. In the past few days, there have been calls from certain Arsenal supporters for Declan Rice to assume the role of centre back in Gabriel’s absence.
Mikel Arteta is amenable to employing Declan Rice as Arsenal’s centre-back, but he is optimistic that it will not be necessary. Arteta stated that he would “absolutely” deploy Rice at centre-back in the event of a need, citing the midfielder’s prior experience in that position.Nevertheless, the Arsenal manager indicated that this would be a last resort, suggesting that he will prioritise the use of his other defenders.
“We would certainly do so,” Arteta informed the Arsenal media team when asked if he would be willing to deploy Rice in defence. “We attempted to play him in that position during the previous season’s away match against PSV, and we are optimistic that it will not be necessary.”
“Nevertheless, he is a player who is capable of accomplishing that if it is the case.” Declan Rice’s background as a centre-back Rice, a midfielder by profession, frequently served as a centre-back for West Ham. Appearances in Position Objectives Provides assistance Defense Central Midfield 50 9 15 Left-Back 2 – – Right-Back 1 – – Midfield 259 18 16 Centre-Back 53 – 1
Declan Rice’s club career statistics by position Rice has played in that position 53 times, which is more than he has played as a No. 8 during his club career. In March 2018, he also played in defence for the Republic of Ireland in their 1-0 friendly victory over Turkiye, where he was featured at centre-back for his first senior international appearance.
Nevertheless, it is comprehensible that Arteta is hesitant to do so, as Arsenal would be significantly weakened if Rice were to be removed from midfield. Between now and the conclusion of the season, Arsenal has four primary alternatives for Gabriel’s replacement.
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