Arsenal Duo Reveal Hidden Injuries in Damning Indictment of Chaotic Calendar

This summer’s World Cup has only added to the workload for the world’s top players.

Arsenal’s progress in all competitions took its toll on fitness. | Nicolò Campo/LightRocket/Getty Images

Arsenal duo Declan Rice and William Saliba both revealed concerning long-term injuries that have followed them from the Premier League to the 2026 World Cup, prompting Rice to speak out against the “obscene” number of games on the match calendar for players on top teams.

The midfielder, who played 55 matches for the Gunners last season, was a vital member of Mikel Arteta’s Premier League-winning squad, which also reached the Champions League and Carabao Cup finals. Rice was only sidelined for one match due to injury during the 2025–26 campaign, but he could have missed many more.

“I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time,” he told ITV Sport. “Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.”

Rice went from a grueling season with Arsenal to representing England in North America this summer. Still, despite the lack of downtime and his lingering hamstring issue, he insisted he is “ready and fit, raring to go” for his country. Thomas Tuchel is helping manage his minutes, taking the 27-year-old out of the Three Lions’ World Cup opener after 72 minutes.

“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”

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Saliba Shares Similar Issues From Arsenal’s Taxing Season

William Saliba is playing through injury this summer. | Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Saliba, who is also nursing long-term discomfort, is not as lucky as Rice. The defender admitted he is not at full fitness for the 2026 World Cup, but he is playing through the pain as France pursues a third World Cup title.

“I’ve had some minor niggles for several months,” Saliba said in his prematch press conference for Les Bleus’ clash with Iraq. The admission comes after reports emerged of a potential back surgery on the horizon following this summer’s tournament.

“I’ve been gritting my teeth because there was the Champions League and the Premier League. But the coaching staff are handling it very well,” he continued.

“The World Cup comes round only once every four years, so you’ve got to grit your teeth. I’m not at 100%, but there are plenty of players who aren’t at 100% either ... you can’t make excuses.”

Saliba is coming off a third consecutive season in which he made at least 50 appearances for Arsenal. The 25-year-old then went straight to join up with France, and logged 90 minutes in the team’s 3–1 victory over Senegal in its World Cup opener.

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Rice Blasts Chaotic Match Schedule Contributing to Injuries

Declan Rice played 63 matches for club and country in 2025–26. | David Ramos/Getty Images

Over the last two seasons, more and more players are coming down with long-term injuries after logging countless minutes for club and country without proper time to rest and recover. Rice, for example, played 63 matches last season for Arsenal and England, and now could play eight more this summer if the Three Lions make the World Cup final.

The number would have been even higher, like it is for some Paris Saint-Germain players, had the Gunners featured in the Club World Cup last summer.

“It’s an obscene amount of games,” Rice said. “The schedule was crazy but what can we do about it? You can’t sit and complain. We have to just get on with it for the moments like I had in the Premier League, winning that Premier League.

“You know you’d play as many games as possible to have that feeling again and knowing that there’s a World Cup at the end of it as well. You know you’d put your body on the line to be always in to play. It’s a lot of games but we’ll get our break at the end.”

Except the “break” waiting is minuscule at best. Rice will have less than one month between a potential World Cup final with England before Arsenal must face off with Manchester City in the Community Shield on Aug. 16.

Helping ease the burden on players is combining the September and October international breaks next season, but there is still widespread concerns over the unforgiving schedules forcing the sport’s best to perform below their peak level due to fatigue and lingering injuries.

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