Declan Rice

Rice recorded one assist on four chances created and has denied any sort of injury after his early substitution, the player told Arthur Ferridge of The Standard. "All good, good as gold. Just what I've been nursing, probably, in the second half of the season at Arsenal, little neural pains here and there. But yeah, I'm all good, I'm all fine, just precaution, and I'll be back out there again against Ghana."

Analysis: Rice had himself a great opening match Wednesday, earning an assist on the second goal of the match when he found the head of Harry Kane off a corner kick. He would add so much more in the attack with a shot, four chances created and nine crosses, although the assist was his only goal contribution. He was also the only England player to take a corner Wednesday with eight, a huge addition to his value. The good news moving forward is that his early exit was not due to injury and was only a precautionary substitution, still likely to start against Ghana.

Jun 4, 2026

Undisputed midfield leader

Rice has been named in England's World Cup squad and is expected to be the undisputed first-choice defensive midfielder throughout the competition, the player around whom manager Tuchel's entire system is constructed.

Analysis: Rice ended the season having been one of the most important players in Arsenal's Premier League title-winning campaign, contributing four goals and seven assists across 36 appearances and playing a vital role both in protecting the defense and initiating attacks from deep. The Englishman brings an unrivalled combination of defensive intelligence, physicality and technical quality that makes him irreplaceable in England's midfield, and his ability to cover ground, win the ball and transition quickly in both directions has made him one of the best midfielders in the world over the past two seasons. Rice heads into the World Cup as one of the most important players in the squad and the defensive heartbeat of a Three Lions side with serious aspirations of going all the way at this tournament.