Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice saw their fitness questioned after England’s World Cup exit.
Over the course of the 2025/26 season, Saka and Rice made 49 and 55 appearances for the Gunners across all competitions respectively.
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Adding to Rice’s physical toll was that he started 49 of his 55 games for Arsenal last term.
As for Saka, he missed a string of fixtures for club and country due to an Achilles problem.
The duo put their bodies on the line to help Arsenal end a 22-year Premier League title drought and fall agonisingly short of glory in the Champions League, losing to Paris Saint-Germain in a penalty shootout.
Unfortunately it appeared as if the exorbitant amount of games for Arsenal caught up with the pair once the World Cup rolled around.
England boss Thomas Tuchel confirmed prior to the tournament that managing Saka’s fitness was a priority while Rice revealed he had been battling nerve pain in his hamstring since December.
Saka ultimately started just twice for England at the World Cup while Rice struggled to be the all-action midfielder many hoped he would be throughout the tournament.
Durham: Saka and Rice need to work out if it’s club or country first
The duo’s lack of impact throughout the World Cup prompted Durham to place Arsenal in the cross-hairs, asking if Rice and Saka may need to get their priorities in place moving forward.
“Look, guys, you know my history at eSPORTY and you know my history with Arsenal,” Durham said in the aftermath of England’s 2-1 loss to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final.
“I just want to say something about Arsenal, here. Bukayo Saka should be a key player for England, nowhere to be seen today.
“Was he actually fit? Did he say he was fit when he wasn’t fit? Have Arsenal said he was fit or not fit? It’s a wasted player at this tournament, in my opinion.
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“I’d also say about Declan Rice, rarely does he come off the field of play, but he’s done that a couple of times.
“Yes, he’s had an illness, but has he really been fully fit? Has he been rinsed too much by Arsenal? Did they want too much from him?
“They’ve got every right to play him, he’s their player, they pay him the wages.
“But if that’s going to be the case, I think Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka need to ask themselves, do they want to win something with their country or is the club the priority? It might be a question going forward.”
Arsenal injuries pile-up
Saka and Rice’s respective fitness issues look destined to have a knock-on effect for Arsenal early on in their season.
Given the Gunners will want to compete on as many fronts as possible, they will need the duo fit and firing, which could mean a prolonged period of rest.
Adding to Arsenal’s personnel concerns going into the new campaign is the impending loss of star centre-back William Saliba.
The defender could be sidelined for up to five months as he is set to undergo surgery in a bid to fix his chronic back issue.
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