**Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville believes the “only player” Arsenal should fear losing to injury is Declan Rice.**
Speaking on his podcast, Neville said that the 26-year-old possesses attributes which make him similar to both Manchester United legend Roy Keane, and Manchester City’s Rodri:
“The only player you would be worried about losing for a period of time would be Declan Rice because you cannot replace that.”
“That is your Roy Keane, that is your Rodri, the player that holds you together. There is only one of them.”
“They have got options if he was not there, but you would never be able to replace the ability of him to be powerful on set pieces, his running, his tackling, his impact on the game going forward.”
Could Arsenal’s other midfielders fill in?
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It is an interesting point posed by Neville. Manager Mikel Arteta does have plenty of options in the middle of the park.
However, while the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino and Christian Norgaard all have aspects of their game that are similar to Rice, none of them have all the attributes that the England international possesses. It would make replacing him very tricky.
Arsenal’s squad depth gives them the edge
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Of course, while they may lose something if Rice is sidelined for any length of time, Arteta does have so many midfielders to choose from, you would think they could make do.
In addition to Zubimendi, Merino and Norgaard, he also has several attack-minded options, including [**Eberechi Eze**](https://goonernews.com/blog/exclusive-arsenal-news-nigel-winterburn-eberechi-eze-arteta/), Martin Odegaard, Ethan Nwaneri and even Kai Havertz.
Over the course of a long season, the sheer depth that the Gunners possess should hold them in good stead, even if several players are out with injuries. It’s an enviable position to be in.
[**Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here**](https://goonernews.com/blog/arsenal-first-team-squad/)