Arsenal star who 'never loses a duel' surprises Declan Rice in every training session
Declan Rice has heaped praise on one of his Arsenal team-mates who has 'really surprised' him. The midfielder made the admission following his side's stunning 4-1 win over Newcastle United on Saturday night.
The England midfielder has quickly become a key part of Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing team in north London following a long-running summer transfer saga that eventually saw him leave West Ham United. He could end up costing the Gunners £105million.
The Gunners kept pace with Manchester City and Liverpool with a dominant performance against Eddie Howe's side at the weekend. An own goal by Sven Botman plus strikes from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior put Arsenal 4-0 up before Joe Willock pulled one back inside the closing stages.
And speaking after the game, Rice admitted he had been pleasantly surprised by the aggression of team-mate Gabriel Magalhaes. He said: “I think Saliba is unbelievable.
“I obviously heard all the talk about him before I came here. But the one who’s really surprised me is actually Gabriel. He’s so aggressive, so strong.
«He really wants it all the time, never loses a duel. When you’ve got two centre backs like that who want it, play aggressively, it really helps and gives you confidence.”
Every word Arsenal boss Arteta said on Newcastle win, Jorginho display and title race
Arsenal player ratings vs Newcastle as Odegaard shines, Havertz superb and Saka sets record
Speaking on the title race, the England international added: „It’s good, you relish it. I think you enjoy the pressures of having to win football matches. When my career ends I’m going to look back on these moments and wish I had played in more title races.“
Speaking about the 4-1 win, Arteta said: I'm really happy with the
Read on football.london
