Declan Rice: I’ve had hamstring problem for 6 months

The midfielder backed Thomas Tuchel’s decision to substitute him against Croatia, saying the problem has been handled behind the scenes for months.

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Declan Rice has revealed he has been managing hamstring neural pain for six months, with the Arsenal midfielder backing Thomas Tuchel’s decision to take him off during England’s World Cup win over Croatia.

Rice was substituted in the 72nd minute of England’s 4-2 win last Wednesday, prompting concern over his fitness after a long, gruelling season.

He has since trained with his teammates over the weekend ahead of Tuesday’s match against Ghana in Boston, but has confirmed the issue is not new.

“It was a smart decision,” Rice said on ITV. “I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal, for a very long time.

“Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that, it was all behind-the-scenes stuff, but it was a smart decision.

“That last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because, the last few days, I felt really, really good.”

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The Ghana match at Gillette Stadium is set to be Rice’s 64th appearance of the season for club and country, a workload that has included Arsenal’s Premier League title win and run to the Champions League final.

Rice said the number of matches has been extreme, but made clear he is not looking for excuses.

“It’s an obscene amount of games, but what can we do about it? You can’t sit and complain,” he said. “You’d put your body on the line to be able to play.”

Rice’s return to training is a positive sign before Ghana, but his comments also underline the physical cost of a season in which he has been central for both club and country, winning his second Arsenal Player of the Year award.

Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images