Rice withdraws from England squad with workload being managed

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Declan Rice has withdrawn from the latest England squad, with the midfielder set to remain at London Colney during the extended international break.

According to football.london, the decision is down to Rice's workload being managed rather than any fresh injury concern.

A relentless 18 months

The context behind the call is straightforward enough. Rice played 55 games for Arsenal last season before featuring in seven of England's eight World Cup matches, doing so while dealing with nerve pain in his hamstring.

He was then given three weeks off, which meant he missed a large chunk of Arsenal's pre-season programme. Since returning, though, he has started all five Premier League fixtures as well as the Champions League trip to Napoli.

Earlier this month, Rice said he was feeling "refreshed, really ready, and ready to go again". At the weekend, however, he was some way short of his best as Arsenal were beaten by Brighton.

Who stays and who goes

Ezri Konsa, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Myles Lewis-Skelly all remain with the England squad for Nations League fixtures against Spain, Croatia and Czechia, with the Czechs faced twice across the extended break.

Rice will instead join a sizeable group staying behind at the training ground. Kepa Arrizabalaga, Illan Meslier, William Saliba, Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapié and Noni Madueke are all at London Colney during the break.

There is one further name on that list. Marli Salmon had been called up by England's under-18s but will also stay put due to injury.

What it means for Arteta

For Mikel Arteta, having Rice on the grass at London Colney rather than shuttling between England camps is a notable change from the usual international-break routine. The 27-year-old has been a near-permanent fixture in Arsenal's midfield since his arrival, and the physical demands of a World Cup summer stacked on top of a 55-game club campaign are significant.

Arsenal's defeat at Brighton has already prompted a period of reflection, with Arteta describing the result as "a big lesson" in his post-match comments. A break that allows one of his most important players to reset physically before the next block of fixtures arrives at a reasonable moment in the calendar.

The extended Interlull means a longer-than-usual gap before club football resumes, giving the medical and performance staff at London Colney genuine time to work with the players who have remained behind.

Rice's situation will be monitored closely over the coming days, with Arsenal's next fixtures set to offer the first indication of whether the enforced rest has had the desired effect.