Declan Rice said he felt “back to myself” following England’s win over the Republic of Ireland yesterday after a “rusty” start to the season with Arsenal.
Rice scored the first goal and Jack Grealish added the second as England made a superb start to their Nations League campaign with a 2-0 win in Dublin.
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The midfielder, who had played three friendlies for the Republic before switching sides to England, received a hostile reception at the Aviva Stadium but silenced the boos with an impressive performance.
“Of course I came back to Arsenal late,” he said. “To be honest, I haven’t been 100 per cent fit until now. It felt like I had pre-season in the Premier League.
“I felt like I really took a step forward today. I felt like I was back to myself, I felt more resilient, I felt like I could move around the field, I felt stronger.”
Rice was controversially sent off in Arsenal’s last game, a 0-0 home draw with Brighton, and revealed he knew he had to perform well while playing for England.
He added: “I feel like I’ve taken another step forward and it’ll definitely help me at Arsenal. I felt really good and I knew I needed a big performance. So far this season I got sent off in the last game and I was a bit rusty in the first two games.”
A memorable night @_Declan Rice!
pic.twitter.com/34V7bNBLeD
— England (@England) September 7, 2024
The match in Dublin was the first under caretaker manager Lee Carsley, who resigned following Gareth Southgate’s 2-1 defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
And Rice has been impressed with the way the former England Under-21 manager has carried out his job over the past week.
“Obviously we had a great time with Gareth. Some of the best memories you could ever imagine. The only thing missing is, of course, not winning a trophy,” he said.
“But now I think the director has adapted very well to the job.
“He gave a lot of players confidence to go out there and play. Look at Jack. [Grealish] Today, Jack thinks he’s the coolest when someone puts an arm around his shoulder and tells him how great he is.
“I think Lee did it this week and Jack went out there too, and when Jack plays with character and confidence, he’s one of the best players in the world.
“I think that’s what Lee will continue to bring to this team.”
