Arsenal suffered a blow when Declan Rice was forced off during the north London derby against Tottenham on September 24.
The Gunners' record signing started the match at Emirates Stadium but could not continue beyond halftime, with the scores level at 1-1.
Rice had missed just 14 minutes of Arsenal's competitive games since the Community Shield back in August and his absence was keenly felt in the second half, not least because replacement Jorginho was at fault for Spurs' second equaliser of the day.
The bigger concern for Arsenal fans now is whether Rice faces a longer spell out of action, with games to come against Brentford in the EFL Cup, Lens in the UEFA Champions League, and Bournemouth, Manchester City and Chelsea in the Premier League.
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Declan Rice injury update
Rice was substituted at halftime of Arsenal's Premier League match with Tottenham on September 24.
He played the full first half of the game at Emirates Stadium and did not appear to be in any particular discomfort, although he had had a relatively quiet performance in the middle of midfield.
Rice did not return for the second half, with Jorginho brought on as his replacement. It was the Italian's error in allowing James Maddison to dispossess him that saw Son Heung-min equalise barely a minute after Bukayo Saka put Arsenal back in the lead.
Rice was on the Arsenal bench and, according to Sky Sports in the UK, he had strapping on his left calf. However, it later emerged Rice had been struggling with a back problem.
How long is Declan Rice out for?
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke to the media after the match but could not offer any immediate certainty on when Rice would return.
"He had some discomfort in his back," Arteta said. "He was telling us during the first half that he was uncomfortable and, when we assessed him at halftime, he could not continue, so we had to change him."
When asked whether Rice could be out for the short- or medium-term, Arteta said: "Hopefully not. We have to assess him.
"It's strange when a player like him asks to come off because he's uncomfortable. Hopefully not, but let's see."
Arteta's initial assessment indicated Rice could be absent for a period of time but reports from The Guardian claim the club have received positive news on their midfield star.
The report claims Rice's issue has been confirmed as a back spasm, and not a muscular injury, and he could be in line to feature in their Premier League trip to Bournemouth on September 30.
Declan Rice transfer fee: How much did Arsenal pay?
Rice became Arsenal's record signing when he joined from West Ham in July 2023.
The 24-year-old was signed for a reported initial fee of £100 million/$122.4 million, with a further £5m/$6m due in add-ons. That made him the most expensive British player in history.
Declan Rice Arsenal stats
Rice made his Arsenal debut in the Community Shield against Manchester City, which ended 1-1 before the Gunners won a penalty shootout.
He has played six times in the Premier League in 2023/24 and in Arsenal's opening Champions League match against PSV, missing approximately just an hour of action across those games.
He scored his first goal for the club in their 3-1 win over Manchester United.
Premier League 2023/24 TV channels, live streams
MORE: Watch every Premier League match in Canada on Fubo
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | — | |
| Hong Kong | — | Now TV |
| India | Star Sports | Disney+, Hotstar, JioTV |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport | Astro Go |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport | Sky Sport Now, Sky Go |
| Singapore | StarHub | StarHub TV+ |
| UK | Sky Sports, TNT Sports | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime, discovery+ |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo | Fubo, Peacock |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and TNT Sports streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.
India: Star Sports network has the rights to show Premier League matches in India. As well as an English broadcast on Star Sports Select, select matches will be available via regional feeds on Star Sports 3 (in Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam), Star Sports 1 (Bangla) and Star Sports 1 (Tamil).
