Paul Scholes believes Declan Rice is ‘suited’ to playing at right-back as Arsenal grapple with an injury crisis in that position during the final weeks of the season. The Gunners have been without Jurrien Timber since mid-March, and Ben White deputised on Sunday against West Ham United before being forced off with a knee injury.
Rice’s versatility tested
When White went down, Mikel Arteta called upon Martin Zubimendi from the bench, shifting Rice from his midfield role to right-back. Rice helped his side keep a clean sheet in a crucial win, but the positional change left Arsenal vulnerable on the transition, with West Ham getting back into the game. Arteta made further changes at half-time, bringing on Cristhian Mosquera at right-back and returning Rice to midfield.
Rice previously played the full 90 minutes at right-back against Brighton in December, excelling in that role. With concerns over White’s fitness and no clear indication of Timber’s return for the Premier League run-in and Champions League final, Arteta may need to consider emergency options.
Scholes and Butt compare Rice to Keane
Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt recalled how Roy Keane filled in at right-back during his second season at Manchester United. Butt noted that ‘Roy Keane played right-back for two thirds of a season,’ to which Scholes replied: ‘He played there loads because United had Bryan Robson and Paul Ince. Roy played there loads and was brilliant. Declan Rice looks like he would suit playing at right-back to me. He can play there. He’s not a big creator anyway.’
With Timber missing Arsenal’s last 12 games and White potentially facing a spell on the sidelines, Arteta admitted it ‘doesn’t look good at all.’ However, Mosquera has proved reliable when shifted out wide this season. Arsenal return to action at home to Burnley on Monday night.
