Rice's praise for Rashford fuels Arsenal's pursuit of £40m United forward

Declan Rice’s glowing assessment of Marcus Rashford at the World Cup has sharpened the focus on Arsenal’s reported pursuit of the Manchester United forward, with the Gunners believed to be weighing up a move for the 28-year-old this summer.

Rashford has forced his way into England’s starting XI after impressing from the bench in their opening fixtures. He scored as a substitute against Croatia before injecting energy in a difficult encounter with Ghana, earning his place in the XI for England’s 2-0 win over Panama.

Rice was particularly struck by what Rashford offered when England were struggling to break down Ghana’s deep defensive block. “It’s always difficult when you play against 11 behind the ball, as deep as they were,” Rice said. “You’ve got to find solutions. In the last 10 minutes, we found more than we did all game and we were probably unlucky not to score.”

Those comments carry direct relevance for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. The Gunners dropped seven points in draws against defensively-minded sides during their title-winning campaign last season, with the likes of Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Sunderland, and Wolves all managing to hold them. A forward capable of unlocking stubborn low blocks is precisely the profile Arteta is said to be targeting.

Manchester United have reportedly ruled out selling Rashford to only two clubs — Liverpool and Manchester City — leaving the door open for Arsenal, as well as Tottenham, who have also shown interest. Rashford himself has been linked with a move to Barcelona following a productive loan spell, though Anthony Gordon’s £80m permanent transfer to the Nou Camp appears to have complicated that path.

Arsenal have already demonstrated their willingness to spend this summer, making Piero Hincapie’s loan from Bayer Leverkusen permanent for £34.5m after triggering a pre-agreed clause. Rashford’s reported £40m release clause would represent only a modest step up from that outlay, and the financial commitment may not be the primary obstacle.

Whether Rashford is open to a move to north London remains unclear, but his form at the World Cup has underlined the quality he could bring to Arsenal’s attacking options as they bid to retain the Premier League title.