When the team news came out at the Emirates on Saturday, and there was no recognised right-back in the Arsenal team, there were quite a few theories rumbling around about who might play there. I imagine Rice can count on one hand the number of times he's played senior football as a full-back, but Arsenal's system allowed that transition to be relatively seamless. It actually felt like he sometimes had more room than he normally would do in a congested central area. This Arsenal team have clearly been stretched by injuries in 2025, be it in their forward line, or - as is the case now - in their defence. All being well, don't expect Rice to be returning to right-back any time soon, but also don't expect it to be a problem for Arsenal if he does.

Source: BBC December 28, 2025 12:52 UTC