Rice dismisses fitness fears ahead of England's World Cup clash with Ghana

Declan Rice has moved to quell fitness concerns ahead of England’s crucial World Cup group-stage match against Ghana on Tuesday, insisting he is physically and mentally primed for the demands of a long tournament.

The Arsenal midfielder was withdrawn in the 70th minute of England’s opening game against Croatia after experiencing physical discomfort — a substitution that drew fresh attention to a hamstring problem he revealed earlier this week he has been managing since the turn of the year. Former England right-back Gary Neville described Rice, usually regarded as “unbreakable”, as a cause for concern.

Rice, however, was unequivocal in his self-assessment. “I’ve been lucky enough to play in Europe for the last six years, my last three years at West Ham, my first three with Arsenal, so my body’s been conditioned and built for these moments for playing long seasons,” the 27-year-old said.

He acknowledged the current season has been more draining mentally than physically, but said he is now in a good place on both fronts. “I think at this moment in time, I’m in a mentally very good space, physically I feel really good as well. So I want to keep taking this into the end of the tournament.”

Rice played 63 times across all competitions for Arsenal this season as they won the Premier League title and reached the Champions League final, and he believes that success has given him a significant confidence boost heading into the tournament.

“I think I come into this tournament with bundles of confidence,” he said. Drawing a parallel between Arsenal’s journey — two near-misses before finally clinching the title — and broader life lessons, he added: “Even in life, you need to go through small losses in order to win big, and I felt at Arsenal that was coming.”

Having finally delivered a league title with the Gunners, Rice says he arrives at the World Cup with a renewed sense of purpose. “I feel like I come into England with a spring in my step. Just a real confidence, and for sure I can bring that into this tournament and, as the games go on and we keep playing against good opposition, I feel like you are going to keep seeing the best of me.”