Kane reveals Rice has been 'struggling for a while' after Arsenal star withdraws from England squad

Harry Kane has disclosed that Declan Rice told him he has been “struggling for a while” with physical issues, after the Arsenal midfielder withdrew from England’s Nations League squad following the Gunners’ Premier League defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.

Speaking to the media at St George’s Park ahead of England’s Nations League opener against Spain at Wembley on Saturday, Kane said the two players had spoken directly about Rice’s condition. “I spoke to Dec, and I know Dec goes far and beyond for the club and country, so I know how much he gives and I know he’s been struggling for a while with his issues,” the Bayern Munich striker said. “So someone like Dec has to get himself sorted and get himself fresh, and he has big games for club, big games for country, coming up.”

Kane also pointed to the physical demands of the Premier League schedule as a broader concern, contrasting his own situation in Germany — where a winter break allows players to recover — with the relentless calendar faced by top-flight English clubs. “I know how tough the summer was and I know especially in the Premier League how gruelling that schedule is,” he added.

Rice, 27, has been managing a hamstring problem alongside a long-standing lower back issue that first came to wider attention during a World Cup campaign in which he played heavily. He started all six of Arsenal’s Premier League and Champions League fixtures this season after making 55 appearances in all competitions for the club last term.

Rice was one of five players to withdraw from Thomas Tuchel’s first Nations League squad, alongside Tino Livramento, Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer and Marcus Rashford. James Garner of Everton and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White have been called up as replacements.

Tuchel, taking charge of England in the Nations League for the first time, faces the task of reshaping his midfield without Rice for a campaign that includes matches against Spain, Czech Republic and Croatia. England were promoted from League B to League A under interim boss Lee Carsley in their previous Nations League campaign.

Kane, meanwhile, will be chasing his 86th international goal when England face world champions Spain on Saturday. The two nations met in the inaugural Nations League in 2018/19, with each side winning on the other’s ground.