Declan Rice has revealed that he is managing a longstanding hamstring issue at the World Cup.
The Arsenal midfielder was taken off in the 72nd minute of England’s 4-2 win over Croatia last Wednesday and there was concern over his condition.
Rice has trained with his team-mates over the weekend in preparation for Tuesday’s second group game against Ghana in Boston.
His club-mate Bukayo Saka also trained on Sunday, despite missing Saturday’s session as he continues to nurse an Achilles issue.
Of his own fitness, Rice told ITV Sport: ’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. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it (the substitution) was a smart decision.
‘That last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most (injuries), it is where you really feel your body going for it. So it was a smart decision because the last few days I have felt really, really good.
Declan Rice says he is playing on through pain for England after playing 63 games this season
Rice, who has played 63 matches for club and country this season, added: ‘It’s an obscene amount of games. 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 winning the 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 able to play.’
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