Mikel Arteta refuses to elaborate on Declan Rice injury after missing Arsenal training session

Mikel Arteta responds to Declan Rice missing Arsenal training and gives Bukayo Saka updateDeclan Rice missed Arsenal training on Tuesday ahead of the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Sporting CP and Mikel Arteta has spoken about the situationCommentsSportKieran King Senior Sports Writer14:02, 14 Apr 2026Updated 14:05, 14 Apr 2026View ImageArsenal manager Mikel Arteta has spoken about Declan Rice(Image: PA)Mikel Arteta refused to elaborate on Declan Rice's injury after the Arsenal midfielder missed training ahead of Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Sporting CP.‌The Gunners host the Portuguese side looking to progress into the semi-final of Europe's elite club competition for the second successive season. Arteta's men boast a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Lisbon and will be looking to get the job done with Barcelona or Atletico Madrid the potential last-four opponents.‌But Arteta could be without a number of key players for the visit of Sporting. While Mikel Merino is a long-term absentee, Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Odegaard missed Saturday's defeat against Bournemouth and are fighting to return to face Sporting at the Emirates Stadium.‌Declan Rice, meanwhile, did feature against Bournemouth but has missed team training in the build-up to the Champions League game and is therefore now a doubt.But when asked about Rice's condition in his pre-match press conference, Arteta refused to say more on the midfielder's fitness. "I don't want to do that," Arteta said, when asked if he would disclose Rice's injury. "We have to wait and see how he is tomorrow but obviously he wasn't available to train."Article continues below"Well he's played a lot of games and that is part of the issue," Arteta added on Rice, who has made 46 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal this season, scoring five goals and providing...