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Arsenal are confident Declan Rice will not be sidelined for long \u2013 after he was forced off with a back problem during Sunday\u2019s 2-2 draw against Tottenham in the north London derby.<\/p>\n
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The \u00a3105million summer signing did not return from the dressing room for the second half of the match, with experienced midfielder Jorginho coming on in his place \u2013 and later giving away the ball for Son Heung-min\u2019s second equaliser.<\/p>\n
Rice looked visibly frustrated that he was forced to watch the second 45 minutes from the bench and manager Mikel Arteta revealed afterwards that he had suffered from sudden back pain.<\/p>\n
\u2018He had some discomfort in his back, and he was telling us during the first half that he wasn\u2019t comfortable,\u2019 revealed the Spaniard afterwards.<\/p>\n
\u2018When we assessed him at half-time, he couldn\u2019t continue, so we had to change him.\u2019<\/p>\n
Back injuries are notoriously fickle \u2013 with William Saliba missing last season\u2019s run-in due to a back issue \u2013 but the Daily Mail are reporting that Arsenal are optimistic Rice will be back swiftly.<\/p>\n
The problem did \u2018intensify\u2019 overnight following the match, however, to such an extent that Rice\u2019s movements have been restricted.<\/p>\n
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That is not considered unusual for such injuries, though, and at this stage Arsenal\u2019s medical team are not overly concerned that he will be out for a prolonged period of time.<\/p>\n
Asked if he expected Rice to be a long-term absentee, Arteta said: \u2018Hopefully not, but we have to assess him. It\u2019s strange that a player like him asks to come off, because he wasn\u2019t uncomfortable. Hopefully not, but we\u2019ll see.\u2019<\/p>\n
Rice was always expected to be rested for Wednesday\u2019s Carabao Cup tie against Brentford and there will be question marks over his involvement against Bournemouth at the weekend followed by Lens away in the Champions League.<\/p>\n
At this stage, Arsenal are hopeful he will be involved in both of those matches and he should be fine for the visit of Manchester City a week on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Jorginho had a difficult match after replacing Rice, giving away the ball for Son\u2019s second equaliser to make it 2-2, and the Gunners are currently light on options in central midfield.<\/p>\n
Thomas Partey is still out of action with a groin problem despite his recovery being ahead of schedule, meaning Jorginho is almost certain to start against Brentford.<\/p>\n
Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli are both nursing minor hamstring issues which ruled them out of the north London derby, but Arsenal are hopeful the pair will return in time to face City.<\/p>\n