Mikel Arteta explains what Declan Rice needs to succeed at Arsenal amid Man United concern
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has urged supporters to give Declan Rice time to settle into the side following the Gunners 2-0 friendly loss to Manchester United on Saturday.
The Red Devils were victorious at the MetLife Stadium thanks to first-half strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Jason Sancho. Arteta's side struggled to lay a punch on their Premier League rivals in the United States in a frustrating evening.
After back-to-back draws with Watford and FC Nurnberg earlier this month, Arsenal earned their first win of their 2023/24 preparations on Thursday morning with a 5-0 thumping of the MLS All-Stars.
The game against United was the first opportunity presented to supporters to see all new signings — Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice — in action for the first time since their move. However, the Gunners struggled to gel in the opening 45 minutes.
Captain Martin Odegaard joinedRice and Havertz in a midfield three, but were outnumbered on a number of occasions by United and the trio only lasted 59 minutes. Thomas Partey, who has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, replaced Rice as the midfield anchor.
And despite the failed first trial of the trio, Arteta has hinted that he will continue to stick with his vision and asked supporters to give the England international time to settle in. He said: «When they play 55 times together, it will be better, it will flow better, they will understand each other better and we will be more dominant. But things take time to glide and we have to respect that.»
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